Israeli forces have destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza

Israeli forces have destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people to flee their homes, Palestinian officials said, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Sunday to discuss the future of the conflict. This is reported by Reuters. Israel has said it plans to capture the city, where about one million Palestinians have taken refuge, as part of its stated goal of eliminating Hamas's infrastructure.

Hamas's political leadership, which has been involved in negotiations for a possible ceasefire and a deal to release hostages, was targeted by Israel in an airstrike in Doha on September 9. Rubio said Washington wants to talk about the release of the 48 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the reconstruction of the coastal enclave. Only 20 are believed to be alive. "What has happened, has happened," he said.

"We will meet with them (the Israeli leadership). We will talk about the future," Rubio said before leaving for Israel, where he will stay until September 16. Upon arrival, Rubio visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest Jewish prayer site. The visit to the Western Wall "reaffirms the US recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel," the State Department stressed.

At the end of 2017, during his first presidential term, Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and later moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv.

Israel said it had completed five waves of airstrikes on Gaza City last week, targeting more than 500 sites, including Hamas intelligence and sniper positions, buildings containing tunnel openings, and weapons depots.

Hamas said that since August 11, Israeli forces have destroyed at least 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents. According to Israeli sources, as of September 14, the number of people leaving Gaza had reached 300,000.