Israel said Sunday it’s moving for the first time into a town in the heart of the Gaza Strip that it had avoided for fear of harming hostages, as it accused Hamas of stalling at US-brokered ceasefire talks.

Talks for a two-month truce in Gaza appear to have stalled, with disagreements over aid distribution and unresolved questions about a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss a potential ceasefire in Gaza

Explosions could be seen going off in the distance in the Gaza Strip on Friday. There has been little visible progress in months of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at a new ceasefire and hostage release agreement,

Sectarian-tinged clashes left hundreds dead and drew in Israeli military intervention. A U.S. envoy said Israel and Syria had agreed to a truce.

Several days of bitter sectarian fighting in the south of Syria has brought the fledgling government in Damascus dangerously close to direct conflict with Israel, after Israeli warplanes launched strikes against government buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on July 16.

Several smaller countries are taking a stand against Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza. Critics are skeptical about their impact, but others see the pressure as a first step in a global shift.

Until his final days, the late Pope Francis had regularly spoken to the priest at Gaza's Catholic church about the situation in the war-ravaged territory.