Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas announced a ceasefire to the two-year war in Gaza. The agreement was brokered in part by the United States, but American officials are concerned, according to the New York Times,

Rubio's trip to Israel comes on the heels of visits from Vice President JD Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who've spent the week traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to continue coalition building in the region.

President Trump on Saturday placed preliminary blame on Hamas should its ceasefire with Israel fail, but called the current deal in place an “enduring peace.” “I think it will hold,” Trump told reporters after meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during a refueling stop in Doha aboard Air Force One while

However, Israel has said it is keeping the crossing closed until Hamas "fulfils" its commitments under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal by returning the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel has kept the Gaza side of the Egyptian border closed since May 2024 when it took control during the war.

Sami Shaban says his relatives were among 11 killed when Israeli tank fire struck their minibus a week after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.

Vice President JD Vance said a Knesset vote was an "insult." Secretary of State Marco Rubio planned to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Thursday.

Several top U.S. officials are in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire and attempt to bring about a permanent end to the war. They acknowledge the next phase poses serious challenges.

Hanan Shakshk cares her grandson Yahya Shorbasi, who was injured by an unexploded ordnance along with his six-year-old twin sister Nabila, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)