US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Sunday fully endorsed Israel’s war aims in the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas “must be eradicated” and throwing the future of the shaky ceasefire into further doubt.

Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem at the start of a regional tour, where he is likely to face pushback from Arab leaders over President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it under US ownership.

Netanyahu has welcomed the plan, and said he and Trump have a “common strategy” for Gaza’s future. Echoing Trump, he said “the gates of hell would be open” if Hamas does not release dozens of remaining hostages abducted in its October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.

Their remarks came just two weeks before the first phase of the ceasefire is set to end.

Rubio said Hamas “cannot continue as a military or government force”.

“As long as it stands as a force that can govern or as a force that can administer or as a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible,” Rubio said. “It must be eradicated.”

Such language could complicate efforts to continue talks with Hamas, which, despite suffering heavy losses in the war, remains intact and in control of Gaza.

The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike early on Sunday on people who approached its forces in southern Gaza. The Hamas-run interior ministry said the strike killed three of its policemen while they were securing the entry of aid trucks near Rafah, on the Egyptian border.

Hamas said that the attack was a “serious violation” of the ceasefire and accused Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the deal.