US Secretary of State Rubio says Israeli strike on Gaza didn’t violate ceasefire

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Oct 27 that Washington does not view a strike that Israel said targeted a member of a Palestinian militant group in Gaza as a violation of a US-backed ceasefire. 

Israel said it

struck a member of the Islamic Jihad group

on Oct 25, accusing the individual of planning to attack Israeli troops. Islamic Jihad denied it was planning an attack.

Speaking aboard US President Donald Trump’s plane during

a trip to Asia

, Mr Rubio said: “We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire.”

He added that Israel has not surrendered its right to self-defence as part of the agreement brokered by Washington, Egypt and Qatar that saw militant faction Hamas release the remaining living hostages held in Gaza in October.

“They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that,” Mr Rubio said.

He said

the ceasefire in Gaza

, which remains in force between Israel and Hamas just over two years since the war began, was based on obligations on both sides, reiterating that Hamas needs to speed up the return of the remains of hostages who died in captivity.

Israel’s Oct 25 strike came shortly after

Mr Rubio departed Israel

. He was there on a visit aimed at shoring up the ceasefire. REUTERS