US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on May 1, 2024. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half hours, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the US position and a UN warning that it would lead to "tragedy".

Blinken told reporters that there are other ways of dealing with the ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not require a major military operation in Rafah.

An Israeli government spokesperson said Israel remained determined to destroy the remaining Hamas fighting formations.

Blinken also urged Hamas to accept a truce deal proposed by Egyptian mediators which would see 33 hostages released in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to the fighting, with the possibility of further steps towards a comprehensive deal later.

A senior official for Hamas said it was still studying the proposed deal but said Israel was the real obstacle.