Marco Rubio to skip Paris meeting on Gaza transition

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will no longer attend a meeting in Paris with European, Arab and other states on October 9 to discuss Gaza's transition, but Washington is likely to be represented, diplomatic sources said.

The meeting will be held in parallel with indirect talks that are under way between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, Reuters reported.

Rubio had been initially expected to attend, diplomatic sources said, but his presence was ultimately not possible due to the government shutdown in the U.S.

However, a U.S. official is still due to attend, although it was not clear who, the sources said.

The Paris meeting is intended to look at how Gaza would be governed, how Trump's plan would be implemented and assess other countries' collective commitments to the process.