Israel-Gaza updates: Nasser Hospital no longer 'functional,' WHO chief says

South Africa on Tuesday filed an "urgent request" with the United Nations' top court over Israel's military operations in the southern Gaza Strip.

The South African government said in a statement that it has asked the International Court of Justice to consider whether the Israeli military's decision to extend its operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where 1.2 million Palestinians have sought refuge after being displaced by the war, represents a "further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza."

The Hague-based court handed down a preliminary ruling last month in South Africa's ongoing case accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in neighboring Gaza amid its war with Hamas, the militant group that rules the coastal enclave. A panel of judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent the deaths of civilians.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Morgan Winsor

A delegation from Israel is in Egypt on Tuesday for negotiations regarding the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli political source told ABC News.

Egyptian state-owned television channel Al-Qahera News reported that Israeli, Qatari and U.S. officials are meeting with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo on Tuesday to "discuss a truce in Gaza."

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating talks between the warring sides.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor

CIA Director Bill Burns will head to Egypt this week to try to move Hamas and Israel closer to a deal to free all hostages in Gaza for an extended pause and humanitarian aid, but two U.S officials said Burns may face a fresh challenge: So far, Israel hasn’t committed to sending representatives to the table.

If Israeli intelligence officials don’t attend the planned talks, a U.S. official said Burns would still press on, working with Egyptian and Qatari partners, even though it would mean none of the main players are directly represented at the meeting.

The official also said that while American and Israeli officials are frequently engaged in high-level talks, the U.S. does not have a clear understanding of Israel’s red lines for a hostage deal.

After two hostages were rescued from Gaza overnight, the official said there could be more targeted rescue missions in the days to come. But, the official said the U.S. believes the vast majority of hostages can only be recovered through diplomacy.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matt Miller on Monday downplayed recent Israeli military operations in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, saying the United States did not assess that the overnight strikes were a prelude to a full ground incursion there.

The Israelis "have conducted airstrikes against Rafah, really, since going back to the original days of the campaign," Miller said. "It is not our assessment that this airstrike is the launch of a full-scale offensive happening in Rafah."

Miller again stressed that the U.S. wanted to see "a credible plan that they can actually execute" to address humanitarian concerns before Israel undertakes any kind of military campaign in Rafah, and that the State Department was looking forward to receiving briefings on the evacuation preparations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered last week.

The Israel Defense Forces said details of a civilian evacuation from Rafah are being planned and will take some time.

Miller also dismissed the notion that Israel’s strikes on Rafah could have a detrimental impact on hostage talks.

"I don't think it should and I think that Israelis are well within their rights to do everything in their power to try to get back the hostages that were taken from Israel and continue to be held and held for far too long now," he asserted. "It should in no way impact the negotiations."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford