United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that the Biden administration does not view a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza as a violation of the US-backed ceasefire, characterizing it instead as an act of "self-defense" . The strike, which occurred on Saturday in the Nuseirat refugee camp, was claimed by Israel to have targeted a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group who was allegedly planning an attack on Israeli troops . Secretary Rubio, speaking aboard the presidential plane during a trip to Asia, asserted that Israel retains the right to self-defense against what it perceives as imminent threats under the terms of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Washington, Egypt, and Qatar .
The justification for the strike has been firmly rejected by Palestinian factions. Islamic Jihad, the group Israel accused of planning an attack, explicitly denied the allegation . Furthermore, Hamas condemned the Israeli military action, labeling it a "clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement and accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to sabotage ongoing peace efforts . This incident is the second strike in a week to hit the Nuseirat camp, following a series of Israeli airstrikes the previous weekend that resulted in the deaths of at least 36 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza .
While US officials focus on the mechanics of the truce, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic . The World Health Organization has reported that the amount of aid entering Gaza since the ceasefire took hold is insufficient, with no observable reduction in hunger for the population . The territory is buried under an estimated 61 million tonnes of debris, with about three-quarters of all buildings damaged or destroyed . The UN's health agency has also pleaded for thousands of Palestinians in desperate need of medical care to be allowed to leave the besieged territory, noting that at the current rate of evacuations, it could take a decade to treat all 15,000 patients requiring external care .
The stability of the ceasefire appears tenuous, tested by military actions and ongoing disputes over the implementation of the agreement's terms. A key point of contention is the return of the remains of deceased hostages. Hamas has stated that efforts to retrieve bodies are challenged by the massive destruction in Gaza, which has buried some remains deep underground . Egypt has dispatched a team with heavy equipment to assist in the search operations . Meanwhile, Secretary Rubio has reiterated the US position that Hamas "cannot be involved in governing Gaza in the future," signaling the significant political hurdles that remain in establishing a lasting peace and a functional administration for the territory .