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US President Joe Biden's national security adviser is holding talks in Israel as part of a new push to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Jake Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Sunday. His visit comes as Israeli forces continue military operations in Gaza, including the southernmost town of Rafah.
Hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated the city following an order from Israeli forces. Sullivan is expected to push Israel to avoid a full-scale assault on the town of Rafah. The US has previously said it would freeze the supply of some weapons if Israel launches a major ground offensive in the city.
However, an Israeli official told the Reuters news agency that Netanyahu and his top aides would try to reach an agreement with Sullivan that a push in Rafah was needed.
On Sunday, Gaza's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said at least 20 people were killed and several wounded in a rocket attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The Israeli military said it was checking the reports and added that two soldiers were killed fighting in the south on Saturday.
Discussions have been held in the past about a possible ceasefire to no avail.
Earlier this month, Hamas backed a proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. But Israel said the proposal agreed to by Hamas was not the same one it had already accepted.
Israel also rejected a proposal for a "permanent" ceasefire and said releasing troops in exchange for hostages was not acceptable.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's attack in southern Israel last year, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage. More than 35,456 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas territory's health ministry./BBC
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