United States President Barack Obama called his Secretary of State John Kerry, who flew into Tel Aviv from Cairo despite warnings over airline safety, to take stock of the efforts to halt the bitter fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Obama, during his call aboard Air Force One yesterday, asked about the developments to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities which has led to the deaths of nearly 700 Palestinians and 32 Israeli soldiers, the White House said.

Over the last few days, Kerry has been engaged with the Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians, Europeans, the UN, the Arab League, and others to achieve an end to the violence and build a process that can create a sustainable path forward, White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said. Obama sent Kerry to the region to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas.