US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media after visiting the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday said that the recent Israeli strike on a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operative was not a violation of the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza. According to Rubio, Israel has not surrendered its right to self-defense as part of the ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
“We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire,” Rubio said, adding that “They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that.”
Israel strikes PIJ operative in Gaza
Rubio’s comments come after Israel on Saturday carried out a drone strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, targeting an alleged PIJ operative who was planning an imminent attack against IDF troops.
According to Palestinian media reports, one person was killed and others were injured in the strike that hit a car in Nuseirat, which is on the western side of the Yellow Line, meaning it is not under Israeli control as per the ceasefire deal.
The PIJ, which is one of the several militant groups operating in Gaza, has denied claims that it was planning an attack.
The militant group, which is believed to have been holding some of the Israeli hostages or the remains of the deceased, was also involved in the ceasefire negotiations in Egypt.
Israel hits militants near Yellow Line
Meanwhile, Israel on Monday announced yet another strike against a group of alleged ‘Palestinian terror operatives’ who crossed the Yellow Line.
According to the IDF, the militants were digging in the ground and approaching Israeli forces in the Khan Younis area.
They posed an immediate threat to the troops, and upon being identified, they were targeted in a strike, the IDF said.
Monday’s strike was the latest by the IDF since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect on October 9, targeting suspected Palestinian militants. While the fragile ceasefire is holding as of now, there are growing concerns among the US and Arab countries that the flare-ups could lead to the breakdown of the truce that took more than two years to achieve.
