Rubio to visit Israel from Thursday: Israeli govt

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Israel on Thursday, an Israeli government spokeswoman said, announcing the third visit by a senior Washington official this week.

Speaking while Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff were already in the country promoting the plan to end the war in Gaza, spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister's office Shosh Bedrosian told reporters that Rubio would meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.

"This is the secretary of state third trip to Israel since mid-September which further shows the hand-in-hand relationship that Israel and the United States have as we mark this historic time," she said.

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday as Washington seeks to reinforce a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has teetered under renewed tensions in recent days.

“Welcome to Israel, Vice President Vance,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a social media post, sharing a photo of Vance and his wife disembarking from a US government plane.

“Together, the Promised Land and the Land of the Free can secure a better future, including the release of the remaining 15 hostages,” the ministry added.

Vance is expected to meet with top US Middle East envoys and military officials overseeing the ceasefire’s implementation.

Israeli media reported he will hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday to assess the next phase of the truce and potential humanitarian measures in Gaza.

Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Hamas that any violation of the Gaza ceasefire would bring what he described as a “swift and decisive response.”

He emphasized that the militant group “will be wiped out completely” if it resumes attacks against Israel, underscoring Washington’s intent to maintain pressure on Hamas while backing Israel’s right to defend itself under the terms of the U.S.-brokered truce.

In parallel diplomatic efforts, Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad is also visiting Israel on Tuesday for talks aimed at stabilizing the US-backed truce, Egyptian state-linked channel Extra News reported.

Rashad is set to meet US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is currently in Israel, as Cairo continues its pivotal role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

The visits come just over a week after the ceasefire was reached in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, bringing a temporary halt to the fighting that has devastated Gaza and displaced tens of thousands of residents.

Meanwhile, Qatar — another key mediator — has sharply criticized Israel for what it called ongoing violations of the truce.

In an address to the Shura Council, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani condemned “Israeli violations and practices in Palestine,” accusing Israel of turning Gaza into “an area unfit for human life.”

Egypt and Qatar remain central to mediation efforts, leveraging their long-standing ties with Hamas and Israel. However, mistrust between both sides — coupled with disputes over the pace of aid deliveries and the release of hostages — continues to threaten the fragile truce.

The ceasefire, brokered earlier this month by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, brought a temporary halt to weeks of intense Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket attacks that left thousands dead and much of Gaza in ruins.

The flurry of diplomatic visits underscores growing international concern that the ceasefire could collapse without swift progress on humanitarian access and hostage releases.