Ceasefire talks resume as Rafah under fire
Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza have resumed in Cairo, Egyptian media say.
Senior officials from the US, Israel, Egypt and Qatar are meeting as Israel faces strong international pressure to stop its bombardment of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
About 1.5 million people are crammed into this small border town, amid fears of an Israeli ground offensive.
Israel's PM rejected as "delusional" ceasefire proposals by Hamas last week.
Benjamin Netanyahu said "total victory" was possible in Gaza within months.
He later ordered Israeli troops to prepare to expand their ground operation, and vowed to defeat Hamas gunmen hiding in Rafah.
But UN human rights chief Volker Türk said any assault on the city would be "terrifying" and many civilians "will likely be killed".
US President Joe Biden has called for civilians in the area to be protected.
Rafah has come under heavy Israeli air strikes in recent days, with deaths and injuries reported.
The discussions in Cairo are continuing despite Israel's rejection of Hamas's terms.
Mr Netanyahu has sent his intelligence chief, David Barnea, to the talks to try to make further progress - Israeli media said he did so under American pressure.
He is joined by the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency William Burns, Egyptian intelligence officials and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
There is a framework for a temporary truce on the table, involving releasing Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a period of calm.
Qatar and Egypt, with US support, have been going back and forth between Israel and Hamas to try to broker a deal.
Israel says 130 hostages are still unaccounted for out of the 253 taken by Hamas-led gunmen during the 7 October attacks on southern Israel. A number of hostages have been released - including most recently two male Israeli-Argentines - but some have died.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68284819