( CNN ) -- Diplomats edged closer to finding a way to end the fighting in Gaza on Friday as the United States and Israel signed an agreement designed to stop arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory . Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says European nations and NATO will be helping with anti-smuggling efforts . U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni signed a memorandum of understanding that calls for an international effort to stem the flow of weaponry and explosives . The agreement outlines a plan to share information and provide technical assistance to stop the smuggling of arms to the militants . The meeting in Washington was one of several diplomatic moves afoot to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza . The diplomatic moves came as Israel 's offensive against Hamas militants continued , with Israeli airstrikes pounding the northern and southern sections of Gaza . Watch more on the latest fighting in Gaza » . U.S. and Israeli diplomats said the agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza , maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry , and the sharing of U.S. and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels . Rice said the steps spelled out in the memorandum will `` stem the flow of weapons and explosives into Gaza . '' `` The United States is reaching out to its partners as well . Together , the steps that we and other members of the international community can take will contribute to a durable cease-fire , '' said Rice , noting that `` there must be an international consensus that Gaza never be used as a launching pad against Israeli cities . '' Livni said that ending the fighting in Gaza wo n't be `` achieved by agreements with terror , but with effective arrangements against it '' -- a unified effort by the international community . She said a `` durable '' end to hostilities requires a stop to weapons smuggling into Gaza . `` We have agreed on a series of actions with regional and international players in order to complement Egyptian actions and end the flow of weapons to Gaza , '' Livni said . She said European nations and NATO would be helping with the anti-smuggling efforts . The Bush administration has been consulting with the Barack Obama team about the memorandum of understanding and efforts to forge a cease-fire . Rice has spoken with President-elect Obama , incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and incoming National Security Adviser James Jones . Israel on Thursday dispatched senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad to Cairo to discuss a cease-fire proposal , and Gilad was continuing talks in Cairo . A Hamas delegation is also in the Egyptian capital , talking with leaders there who are trying to hammer out a temporary truce . Egypt has hosted peace talks with leaders from Israel and the Palestinian Authority , and has acted as an intermediary between Hamas and Israel . Arab and regional diplomats and leaders also have been meeting to deal with the crisis , but there is no unified Arab stand . The state of Qatar held an emergency summit Friday in an attempt to find a unified Arab voice on Gaza . The meeting brought together some regional leaders , including the presidents of Iran and Syria and the leader of Hamas , Khaled Meshaal . Egypt , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait and the Palestinian Authority were not in attendance . They plan to attend the regular annual Arab League summit scheduled for next week in Kuwait devoted to Gaza . Arab League foreign ministers were meeting in Kuwait City on Friday and were planning the groundwork for next week 's meeting . Six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia , Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- focused on Gaza at their emergency summit Thursday in Riyadh . Also , U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon continued his trip through the region as part of the diplomatic effort to secure a truce . He has called for an immediate cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and said he is encouraged that the Egyptian government is trying to broker a truce . He met with Israeli officials Thursday and condemned an Israeli strike that damaged the U.N . Relief and Works Agency 's compound in Gaza City , sparked a massive fire and injured three people . Once the fighting stops , the two sides can `` discuss how to make this cease-fire durable and sustainable , '' he said . CNN 's Elise Labott and Caroline Faraj contributed to this report .
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni , U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meet . Agreement reached on measures to stop flow of Hamas weapons . - January 22 : Israel launches Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas. Israeli airstrikes continue to pound northern and southern sections of Gaza .