The White House said Thursday that Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar involving top U.S. officials had a "promising start" but that it did not expect to close a deal immediately.

Five influential Israeli rabbis have condemned Jewish prayers at annexed east Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, saying the holy site remains "strictly forbidden" to Jews after a visit by a far-right minister.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has met with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks on a ceasefire and peace, a day after a visit to Moscow.

Pressure built for a Gaza ceasefire to be agreed at talks set to resume Thursday in Qatar to avert a wider war involving Iran, after months of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.

Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents.

The latest strikes came on the eve of new talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 10-month-long war. The United States, Qatar and Egypt are hoping to broker an agreement, but the sides remain far apart on several issues even after months of indirect negotiations.

Israeli air strikes targeted Gaza on Wednesday ahead of ceasefire talks that the United States hopes will stop Iran striking Israel in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas leader.

Iran and its allies blamed Israel for the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran during a visit for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented.

International mediators are hoping to kickstart stalled cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas with a new round of talks meant to finally clinch a deal between the sides. But the chances of a breakthrough appear slim.

The new talks are set to begin Thursday, but Israel and Hamas have been mulling an internationally-backed proposal for more than two months that would wind down the 10-month-long war and free the roughly 110 hostages still held in Gaza.

The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday.

Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120 mm tank ammunition and high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles and comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.

Qatar will seek to convince Hamas to participate in Thursday’s peace talks over the war in Gaza, a U.S. State Department official said.

Hamas has so far declined to agree to take part in ceasefire negotiations, which take place amid fears that tensions between Israel and Iran could escalate following Israel’s killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Palestinian militants have fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip and one of them landed in the sea off central Israel. The other projectile did not cross into Israeli territory, Israel's military said.

Hamas’ armed wing said it fired two rockets at Tel Aviv, located on the coast in central Israel.