Hamas' meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ways to stop the war, deliver aid, and "end the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement.

Israel's new offensive in Gaza City could take weeks to start, leaving the door open for a ceasefire, officials say, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would get underway "fairly quickly" and end the war with Hamas' defeat.

Escalation of the war in Gaza is in sight. Last week, as the famine grew worse, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan for his country’s military to take control of Gaza City, a decision roundly condemned as a costly invasion that would create more suffering for Palestinians and risk the lives of the remaining Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.