Israeli and U.S. officials met virtually Monday to discuss a possible alternative for a potential ground operation in Rafah by the Israeli military, the White House confirmed.

The virtual meeting was arranged as a substitute for an in-person discussion in Washington featuring the visit by a high-level Israeli delegation, which was scrapped by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week in protest of the United States greenlighting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.