Hopes rose that Israel and Hamas may be inching toward another truce and hostage-release deal in the Gaza war, following talks in Europe and a visit to Egypt by the head of the Palestinian militant group, according to AFP.

While some talked of a truce, fighting raged and Gaza’s Hamas government said the death toll in the Palestinian territory reached 20,000.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there can be no Gaza ceasefire until Hamas fighters are destroyed, but Washington expressed hope the truce talks can bring results.

“These are very serious discussions and negotiations and we hope that they lead somewhere,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also voiced hope for a new pause in fighting. “We remain very actively engaged in seeing if we can get a pause back on and hostages moving out again,” he said.