Israeli media outlets say a delegation from the country is expected to hold talks with Hamas. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated again that he is determined to mount a ground offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

Haaretz and other media outlets say Israel's war cabinet and the political-security cabinet intend to meet on Sunday night to discuss the delegation's trip.

They also say the delegation is expected to leave Israel for Qatar on Monday. It is believed that negotiations will begin later in the day.

But it remains unclear whether any progress will be made, as Israel and Hamas remain far apart on the terms of a deal.

Israel wants the Palestinian group to release the rest of the hostages that its militants captured during their surprise attacks in the country on October 7. Hamas is demanding a ceasefire. The group also wants Israel to pull its troops out of Gaza.

Netanyahu admitted during a cabinet meeting on Sunday that international pressure is mounting on Israel.

But he said that Israel cannot and will not succumb to the pressure. He added that Israel will launch a military ground operation in Rafah. The prime minister said that is "the only way" to eliminate the Hamas militants.

Rafah is currently sheltering nearly 1.5 million people, including evacuees from other parts of the enclave.

The international community fears that a ground assault in the city could further raise the number of civilian casualties and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement that "Netanyahu's continuous threats to invade Rafah pose a blatant challenge to the international and American consensus on protecting civilians."