U.S. urges Turkey, Egypt, others to encourage Hamas to de-escalate

Israeli soldiers take cover as an air raid siren warns of incoming rockets in Kiryat Malachi, Israel, on Nov. 15. Photo by Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

The United States has asked countries that have contact with Hamas to urge the group to stop its recent rocket attacks from Gaza, a White House adviser said on Thursday.

"We've ... urged those that have a degree of influence with Hamas such as Turkey, and Egypt and some of our European partners to use that influence to urge Hamas to de-escalate," said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor, in a conference call with reporters.

Asked whether the United States was concerned that Israeli ground forces would enter Gaza, Rhodes said: "Ultimately it's up to the Israeli government to make determinations about how they're going to carry out their military objectives."