US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Qatar Tuesday to ask it to stay on as Gaza mediator, hoping to reassure the Gulf ally a week after Israeli air strikes targeted Hamas leaders in the emirate.

Axar.az informs, citing France 24, “We’re going to ask Qatar to continue to do what they’ve done, and we appreciate very much, and that is, play a constructive role in trying to bring this to an end,” Rubio told reporters as he flew out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to Doha.

“Obviously they have to decide if they want to do that after last week or not, but we want them to know that if there’s any country in the world that could help end this through a negotiation, it’s Qatar,” he said.

Rubio said the United States would work with Qatar to finalize a defense agreement soon despite the Israeli military action.

President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “won’t be hitting” Qatar again.