After comments from Israeli officials predicted the war in Gaza would last through the end of the year, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby expressed a desire to reach an end much sooner than that -- “as soon as possible,” he said.

“I’ll let the defense minister speak for his own views and opinions. Our view, in our opinion, is we gotta get this hostage deal now. The time is now to do it -- to get that temporary cease-fire and to end this conflict as soon as possible,” Kirby said.

“I can tell you that President Biden is committed to seeing that we find a way to end this conflict. And to end as soon as practicable.”

Kirby confirmed that there is a “fresh” proposal on the table that the Israels are “fully supportive of,” but it is too “fresh” to provide details on. He emphasized that the Biden administration still believes there is a path for a cease-fire deal that could “lead to something more sustainable” and a “potential end of the conflict.”

Kirby also said the fighting “could end tomorrow if Mr. Sinwar did the right thing and agreed to this deal,” referring to the Hamas leader.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the catastrophic strike over the weekend in Rafah -- becoming the first top-level U.S. official to publicly respond to the attack in detail.

"The incident a couple days ago was horrific," he said. "I don't think anyone who has seen the images cannot be deeply affected by them, just on a basic human level."

Blinken was also asked about reports indicating that the U.S. supplied the weapons used in the strike; he said he couldn't yet say where they came from, but if Israel's claims that it used small diameter munitions were true, the incident illustrated how even precision attacks could cause immense damage to civilians in Rafah.

"I think we also see that even limited, focused, targeted attacks, designed to deal with terrorists who've killed innocent civilians that are plotting to kill more -- even those kinds of operations can have terrible, horrific, unintended consequences," he said.

Blinken then said it was "very important in this moment after Israel has had real success in helping to destroy Hamas' capacity to repeat October 7th" that Israel "has to ask whether, and especially in the absence of a plan for the day after in Gaza, further incremental gains against Hamas, but gains that may not be durable in terms of Hamas' defeat in the absence of a plan--how that stacks up against some of the, again, unintended, but horrific consequences of military action in a place where the people you're going after are so closely embedded with civilians."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

A video showing Israeli hostage Alexsander Trufanov, who was captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, was publicly released by the Hostage Families Forum on Tuesday.

"The proof of life from Alexsander (Sasha) Trufanov is additional evidence that the Israeli government must give a significant mandate to the negotiating team, which will be able to lead to a deal for the return of all the hostages - the living to rehabilitation and the murdered to burial," the Hostage Families Forum said in the release with the video.

Israel submitted a new cease-fire proposal to negotiators in Egypt on Monday. They are now awaiting a response from Hamas, according to an Egyptian security source who spoke with ABC News.

-ABC News' Dorit Long and Marwa Mouaki

At least 21 people were killed in an attack near the International Medical Corps American hospital as explosions continue in Rafah on Monday night and Tuesday, according to Palestinians on the ground and local authorities.

Of the 21 people killed, 14 of them were female, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Tuesday. Their ages have not yet been released.

These bombings were not in the exact same location as the strike on May 26 that killed 50 people and injured at least 249 others.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz

An Egyptian border guard was killed in a shooting in the Rafah border area with Gaza, Egypt’s military spokesman said in a statement on Monday.

"The Egyptian armed forces, through the competent authorities, are investigating a shooting incident in the Rafah border area which led to the martyrdom of one of the security personnel on duty," the statement said.

The Israeli military had earlier reported an exchange of fire on the Egyptian border and said it was discussing the incident with Egypt.

“A few hours ago (Monday), a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border. The incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians,” the IDF said.

Initial investigations into an incident that killed an Egyptian border guard indicate the incident occurred while there was an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and "the Palestinian resistance," an Egyptian security source told Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV on Monday.

In October 2023, weeks after the war started, Israel said one of its military tanks mistakenly fired at an Egyptian position near the border with Gaza. Egypt said at the time that several army personnel were slightly injured.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel have escalated after Israeli forces earlier this month seized control of the Rafah border crossing, a key entry point for humanitarian aid. Egypt said it would not reopen its side of the crossing unless it is operated by Palestinians and accused Israel of preventing aid deliveries.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy