Tel Aviv: Mediators in Cairo pushed on Monday with efforts towards a Gaza truce after Israel’s top ally the United States stepped up pressure for a halt in fighting and more aid to enter the besieged Palestinian territory.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators met with US and Hamas envoys -- but no Israeli delegates so far -- in Cairo for a second day of talks aiming for a halt in fighting before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan starts on March 10 or 11.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is hosting a member of Israel’s wartime Cabinet who is visiting Washington in defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu, is sitting down with several senior Biden administration officials this week, including Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser.
President Joe Biden is at Camp David, the presidential retreat just outside Washington, until Tuesday. An official from Netanyahu’s far-right Likud party said Gantz did not have approval from the prime minister for his meetings in Washington.