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From the Liveblog of
Friday, December 19, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Friday, December 19, 2025
Rubio: Israeli strike in Doha brought sense of urgency to end Gaza war before it spread
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Israel’s September strike targeting Hamas’s leadership in Doha “set in motion a sense of urgency to bring [the Gaza war] to an end before it spread.”
“What brought Hamas to the table — among other things — was the fact that some of the countries that had relationships with Hamas — like Qatar, like Turkey — played a very constructive role in bringing them to the table and pressuring them to sign an agreement,” Rubio says during a press conference.
“We played a similar role on the other side,” Rubio adds, referring to US pressure that was brought to bear on Israel to agree to a ceasefire in October.
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