Jordan’s King Abdullah II meets US President Joe Biden at the White House for talks Monday on resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict, as fears grow of an offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

Amman is a key player in the region and the king is also visiting Canada, France and Germany, amid mounting international efforts for a deal to pause fighting in Gaza and free hostages there. 

“They will discuss efforts to produce an enduring end to the crisis,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Sunday, ahead of the meeting. 

A deal “requires as a precondition the return of hostages held by Hamas, and then of course, looking ahead at durable long-term peace requires a formula for two states with Israel’s security guaranteed.”

The US president and First lady Jill Biden will welcome the Jordanian king and Queen Rania to the White House at 2:30pm (1930 GMT), before the two heads of state deliver remarks at 4:00 pm.

The visit comes as weeks of talks involving the United States and regional powers have so far failed to produce a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

It also comes as Biden takes a harder line with Israel, particularly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to send ground troops into the crowded Rafah area to finish his goal of eliminating Hamas.

Biden told Netanyahu on Sunday that a Rafah advance should not go ahead without a “credible” plan to ensure “the safety” of around one million people sheltering there, the White House said.