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.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Militant group Hamas' chief negotiator held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war on Wednesday while Israel struck the territory's main city prior to a planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave.

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.