Egyptian media say Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza have resumed in Cairo.

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.

= Meanwhile, a top UN official, Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths, has warned an Israeli assault on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, could lead to a “slaughter”.

Griffiths said Palestinians in Gaza were already suffering an “assault that is unparalleled in its intensity, brutality and scope”, adding that the consequences of an invasion of Rafah would be “catastrophic”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to defeat Hamas gunmen he says are hiding in the city.