Israel-Hamas war live updates: Biden calls Israel's conduct in Gaza 'over the top'

What we know

• President Joe Biden said Israel's military offensive in Gaza has been ''over the top,'' offering what appeared to be his most pointed criticism yet of the U.S. ally's response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. He added that he was working to secure a sustained pause in the fighting, with a Hamas delegation in Egypt for new hostage talks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the militant group's counterproposal and vowed to push for ''total victory.''
• The U.S has joined aid groups and U.N. officials voicing mounting fears about an Israeli incursion into Rafah, the Palestinian enclave's southernmost city where more than a million civilians are sheltering in dire conditions. Deadly new airstrikes hit the overcrowded border city overnight, after the U.S. warned that a ground offensive into the city without proper planning would be a "disaster."
• More than 27,900 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 67,400 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
• Israeli military officials said at least 224 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza.
• NBC News’ Keir Simmons, Raf Sanchez, Matt Bradley and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region.