Top US diplomat Marco Rubio begins a visit to Israel on Sunday, after expressing the Trump administration's unwavering support for its ally in the war with Hamas following a strike in Qatar that drew broad criticism of Israel.
The trip is taking place after President Donald Trump rebuked Israel over the unprecedented attack against Hamas leaders meeting in an upscale neighbourhood of Doha on Tuesday.
It marked Israel's first such strike against US ally Qatar and has put renewed strain on diplomatic efforts to bring about a truce in war ravaged Gaza.
Before departing for the region on Saturday, Rubio told reporters that while Trump was "not happy" about the strike, it was "not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis".
But he added that the United States and Israel were "going to have to talk about" its impact on truce efforts.
Trump has chided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the attack, which targeted Hamas leaders gathering to discuss a new ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States.
Netanyahu has defended the operation, saying on Saturday that killing senior Hamas officials would remove the "main obstacle" to ending the war.
The talk of a ceasefire, still out of reach after months of failed negotiations, came as Israel has been intensifying its campaign in the Gaza Strip.
In recent days, it has ramped up efforts to seize control of Gaza City, the territory's largest urban area, telling residents to evacuate and blowing up numerous high rise buildings it said were being used by Hamas.
While thousands of people have evacuated the city, according to the Israeli military and Hamas, many more remain.
As of late August, the UN estimated that around one million people were living in the city and its surrounding areas, where it has declared a famine it blamed on Israeli aid restrictions.
Bakri Diab, who fled western Gaza City for the south, said Israeli strikes continued there as well.
"All the occupation has done is force people to crowd into places with no basic services and no safety," said the 35 year old father of four.
