Rubio has on Friday visited the "headquarters for the ceasefire" in the Israeli Qiryat Gat. During a press conference at the American-Israeli coordination center, he repeats the demand for Hamas disarmament.
Should Hamas refuse to lay down their arms, it would be a breach of the ceasefire agreement, he says - but without answering how the US would act in that case.
On Thursday evening, Rubio and Netanyahu met at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem. After the meeting, Rubio noted that there is "more work" to be done.
So we are here to work on it, and we feel very positive and convinced that we will get there despite significant obstacles, he said.
Shuttle traffic
Just hours before the meeting, Vice President JD Vance had left the country. Previously, the Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner made a several-day visit to Israel.
The American shuttle traffic to Israel in the past week has raised questions. On Wednesday, Vice President Vance stated in Jerusalem that it is "important for the government to ensure that our people continue to do what they need to do". It is said to be about getting the ceasefire in Gaza not to collapse - but also to ensure that Netanyahu and his government do not announce an annexation of the West Bank.
The issue has been highly topical since Israel's parliament, the Knesset, voted this week to take two bills to annex the occupied West Bank further. The proposals will now be discussed in the foreign and defense committees before two more rounds of voting.
Ordered pause
Rubio, Vance, and Trump have taken turns condemning the vote. In various outbursts, they have called it "stupid", "insulting", and "counterproductive".
Israel would lose all its support from the US if it happened, the President said in an interview with Time Magazine published on Thursday.
Shortly thereafter, Netanyahu ordered a pause "until further notice" in all work related to the two bills. According to the Prime Minister, the vote this week was "a deliberate political provocation by the opposition who wanted to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance's visit".
