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.

Gaza City has come under intense air attack, the territory's Hamas-run civil defence agency has said, as Israeli forces prepare to occupy the city. Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman, said the residential areas of Zeitoun and Sabra had for three days been hit by bombs and drone strikes that "cause massive destruction to civilian homes",

Israel escalated its bombing campaign of Gaza City on Monday, with attacks centering on the eastern suburbs of Sabra, Shejaia, and Zeitoun. “I want to end the war as quickly as possible, and that is why I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to shorten the schedule for seizing control of Gaza City,