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.

Hamas held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire while Israel struck Gaza's main city prior to a planned takeover.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Palestinians in Gaza should be permitted to leave the enclave, remarks critics see as an effort to push residents out amid an intensifying military campaign.