Qatari and Egyptian mediators sat down with the U.S. and Israeli spymasters in Cairo to discuss a truce in Gaza on Tuesday.

CIA Director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met Egyptian officials, Egyptian media reported.

Al-Qahera News, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, reported the "quartet meeting" as international pressure grows for a truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where health officials say more than 28,000 people have been killed.

Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas with U.S. support.

A proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late last month has gone back and forth between the two sides.

"Hamas and the (other militant) factions are awaiting the outcome of the Cairo meetings, and Hamas is open to discussing any initiative that achieves an end to aggression and war," a Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

The quest for a cease-fire comes after the United States and the United Nations warned Israel against carrying out a ground offensive into Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.