During a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Biden told the Israeli leader that he "expected significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire," according to the White House's account of the call.

It was the fourth call between the two leaders since hostilities erupted 10 days ago between Israel and Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip. More than 200 people have been killed in the fighting, the vast majority of them Palestinians

Up until now, the Biden administration has stopped short of explicitly calling for a cease-fire. Biden's first response when the fighting began was to emphasize Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas rocket attacks.

However, as the violence continues, the US is caught between supporting its strongest ally in the Middle East and joining international efforts to put an end to the conflict.

After the call, Netanyahu issued a statement saying he "greatly appreciates the support of the American president," but reiterated that Israeli forces would push ahead with operations to "return calm and security" to Israel.

Israel is "determined to continue this operation until its aim is met," Netanyahu said. The rebuke is arguably the strongest US appeal to Israel since the fighting began.

German Foreign Minister Maas to visit region

On Wednesday, the German Foreign Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister Heiko Maas would travel to Israel and Palestinian territories on Thursday for talks with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials on ending hostilities. 

Maas is expected to meet the Israeli foreign and defense ministers, as well as President Reuven Rivlin. He will also meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah. 

On Wednesday in the Bundestag, Maas reemphasized that Germany supports Israel's right to self-defense, while condemning "rocket terror" attacks on Israeli cities by Hamas. 

The top diplomat also called for an immediate end of hostilities, and for direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials for a long-term solution.

"We of the firm conviction that this can only be a negotiated two-state solution," Maas said. 

How is the rest of the world responding?

European Union foreign ministers have called for an immediate cease-fire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday ended a meeting about the ongoing crisis, without its 15 members agreeing on a public statement.

The United States had earlier blocked the Council from issuing a press statement calling for deescalation. 

France announced it would again seek a Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, after negotiating with Egypt and Jordan on the text. Its chances of passage are not considered high.

What is the latest on the ground?

Israel continued to target Gaza with airstrikes Wednesday, and Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel throughout the day. Militants in Lebanon also fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel.

Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli military said it was stepping up strikes on militant targets in southern Gaza to counter continuing rocket fire from Hamas. At least nine people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

wmr/msh (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)