Netanyahu refuses to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad.

"The principle that terrorists should not have immunity wherever they are, wherever they may be, was not established by me," he claimed.

Mr Netanyahu was speaking during a news conference with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who was visiting Jerusalem, a meeting which coincided with an emergency summit in Qatar of Arab and Islamic states convened in response to Israel's attack last week on Hamas leaders in the Gulf state.

The strike killed six people - five members of Hamas and a local Qatari security force member.

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Mr Rubio also said Hamas must be eliminated and all hostages released for there to be peace in Gaza.

"As much as we may wish that there be a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we'll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that's not going to happen," he said, calling Hamas "savage terrorists".

"Hamas needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten the peace and security of the region."

When asked how the US will handle Israel's attack in Doha, Mr Rubio did not answer directly, but said the US was focused on what happens next and it will continue to encourage Qatar to play a role in the talks.

Donald Trump had said he wasn't "thrilled" after Israel's strike, but Mr Netanyahu told Mr Rubio: "Your presence here in Israel today is a clear message that America stands with Israel. You stand with us in the face of terror."

The meeting happened as Israel continued attacks on Gaza City, which it aims to take over and claims is Hamas' last stronghold.

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At least 16 Palestinians were killed in strikes on two homes and on a tent housing a displaced family, local health authorities said.

The army also destroyed a 16-floor building in the west of the city, believed to be the tallest in the Gaza Strip, around an hour after warning displaced families sheltering inside and nearby to leave, saying the building was being used to hide "terrorist infrastructure".

Three more Palestinians died of malnutrition in the last 24 hours, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said, taking the number of deaths from such causes to at least 425, including 145 children, since the war began.

The war started when Hamas and other militant groups stormed into Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

More than 64,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel's nearly two-year-long campaign, according to the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.

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