Diplomatic contacts between various international parties to discuss developments in the war on the Gaza Strip have accelerated, while Washington has talked about the increasing prospects of opening the Rafah crossing.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with both Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Putin is also scheduled to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth noted that the planned talks between Putin and Netanyahu are the first between them since the beginning of the war on Gaza.

Mikhail Bogdanov held talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on developments in the Middle East.

The Russian and Qatari foreign ministries said there was a need to de-escalate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and open humanitarian corridors into the Gaza Strip to help affected civilians.

Rafah Crossing

Meanwhile, U.S. officials said talks were continuing with Cairo to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN that Washington hopes the Rafah crossing could open for a few hours on Monday.

Kirby explained that the United States continues to discuss with Egypt to open the Rafah crossing in a way that protects the interests of Egyptian national security, as he put it, noting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his efforts in the region for this.

Palestinians with foreign nationalities wait at the Rafah crossing to exit the Gaza Strip (Reuters)

As part of his regional tour of six Arab countries, Blinken returned to Israel for further consultations with leaders there.

The State Department said Blinken discussed humanitarian aid in a meeting with Netanyahu on Monday.

The United States has asked its citizens in Gaza to go to the Rafah crossing in preparation for their evacuation via Egypt, and Washington estimates the number of Americans - of Palestinian origin - in Gaza at about 500 to 600.

Erdogan calls Sunak

On the other hand, the Turkish presidency said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a phone call today that Western countries should refrain from taking "provocative steps" regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The presidency said in a blog post on the X website that Erdogan told Sunak that Western powers should "remember the unfulfilled promises to Palestine and do what is necessary."

She said Erdogan and Sunak also discussed resolving the "serious humanitarian crisis" in Gaza.

For the tenth consecutive day, the Gaza Strip is subjected to unprecedented Israeli bombardment, which led to the death and injury of thousands and left extensive destruction of homes and public facilities amid a complete siege by Israel, which cut off the supply of food, water, electricity and fuel following the Al-Aqsa flood battle launched by the Palestinian resistance since the seventh of October.