Rubio Defends Israel’s Right to Strike: “Self-Defense Is Not a Violation of Peace”
In a pointed and unapologetic statement aboard Air Force One, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Israel’s targeted strike against a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza did not constitute a breach of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire — but rather, an act of legitimate self-defense against an imminent terror plot.
Rubio’s words came as the Israeli Air Force executed another precision strike Monday morning in southern Gaza, neutralizing two armed operatives who had crossed the demarcation line and were observed digging toward IDF positions — an unmistakable prelude to an ambush.
“The ceasefire is not a suicide pact,” Rubio told reporters traveling with President Donald Trump on his Asia tour. “Israel has not — and will not — surrender its right to defend its soldiers or its people. Every mediator involved agrees on that point.”
🇮🇱🇺🇸 RUBIO: ISRAEL’S STRIKE DIDN'T BREAK CEASEFIRE - BECAUSE “SELF-DEFENSE”
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 27, 2025
Marco Rubio says Israel’s drone strike in Gaza over the weekend didn't violate the ceasefire, arguing Israel “didn’t surrender its right to self-defense.”
That’s the catch: any strike can be preemptive… https://t.co/CxtxbPo509 pic.twitter.com/Cc6D1M8aOU
Israel’s Message to Hamas: Ceasefire, Not Immunity
According to the IDF, the weekend strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)commander actively planning an attack against Israeli forces stationed nearby. The precision drone strike hit the operative’s vehicle moments before he was expected to move toward the ceasefire boundary.
Palestinian outlets confirmed one death and several injuries. As expected, Islamic Jihad denied the attack plot — a reflexive denial that has followed nearly every thwarted operation since October 2023.
But Israel’s position is unambiguous: any armed operative crossing the “Yellow Line” — the boundary Israel withdrew to under the ceasefire terms — is a legitimate military target. IDF intelligence sources say terror cells are deliberately testing the limits of the agreement, attempting to blur the line between “ceasefire” and “staging ground.”
A Ceasefire Under Fire: The Real Test of “Peace”
The fragile truce, engineered by Washington, Egypt, and Qatar, was meant to stabilize the region after the release of hostages and recovery of the fallen. Yet in the weeks since its implementation, Hamas and PIJ have repeatedly violated its terms, failing to deliver all the bodies of slain hostages and carrying out sporadic attacks along the border.
Senior U.S. officials Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff — dispatched to Israel last week — urged restraint but echoed Rubio’s stance:
“Do not act in a way that would endanger the ceasefire. But Israel retains the right to act against immediate threats.”
Their warning was as much for Hamas as it was for global optics. The ceasefire’s “second phase,” which includes deeper political arrangements and reconstruction talks, hinges entirely on Hamas returning the remaining 13 bodies still being held in Gaza.
Vice President J.D. Vance, who visited Israel days before the latest strikes, was blunt: “If Hamas wants peace, it needs to prove it — not with words, but with deeds. Israel has shown restraint. The terrorists have not.”
Abasan al-Kabira: Another Red Line Crossed
Only hours after Rubio’s comments, the IDF launched a second drone strike near Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis. Palestinian media reported two killed and several wounded. The IDF clarified the target: a group of armed operatives digging near IDF positions, likely to plant explosives or create tunnels.
The military described the men as “an immediate and active threat.” Once identified, they were swiftly targeted.
“These were not civilians, and this was not a mistake,” an IDF spokesperson stated. “The ceasefire allows humanitarian calm — not immunity for terror operatives preparing the next war.”
Washington’s Tightrope: Balancing Diplomacy and Deterrence
Rubio’s comments mark a clear shift from the hesitant tone of previous administrations. For decades, Washington has walked the razor’s edge between appeasing global critics and supporting Israel’s defense prerogatives. Rubio, however, made it clear that the Biden-era ambiguity is gone.
“There is no moral equivalence between a democracy defending itself and a terror group plotting attacks,” Rubio emphasized. “The ceasefire is a framework for peace, not a shield for terrorism.”
Inside the Trump administration, sources say the president’s patience with Hamas has thinned. Israel has upheld its end of the bargain — withdrawing troops, facilitating aid, and returning Gazans to civilian zones — while Hamas delays, lies, and digs trenches.
The Pentagon reportedly shares Israel’s concern that the terror organizations are using the truce to regroup.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington does not view a strike that Israel said targeted a member of a Palestinian militant group in Gaza as a violation of a U.S.-backed ceasefire. https://t.co/v6EvBXbCuX
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 27, 2025
Analysis: The Ceasefire’s Fragile Illusion
This so-called “peace” in Gaza remains a temporary illusion, not a transformation. Each violation by Hamas, each attempted ambush, forces Israel to respond — and each Israeli response is met with predictable outrage from those who pretend the IDF should fight with its hands tied.
Rubio’s statement, therefore, was more than diplomatic cover. It was a declaration of principle: that Israel’s right to self-defense is not negotiable, no matter how many ceasefires, press releases, or Western lectures are signed.
Until Hamas delivers all the bodies, dismantles its military networks, and ceases its provocations, the war’s shadow will remain — hovering over every so-called truce line drawn in Gaza’s sand.
