US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak in Jerusalem. (AP)
Gaza militants opposed to peace with Israel have threatened to derail the fledgling negotiations, and the Israeli military said eight mortars and one rocket hit Israel by mid-afternoon on Wednesday - the highest daily total since March 2009. There were no injuries.
Israeli planes responded by bombing a smuggling tunnel along the Gaza-Egypt border, the military said. Hamas officials said one person was killed and four wounded.