US vice president Kamala Harris has said there must be an « immediate ceasefire » in Gaza as she called on the Israeli government to do more to increase the flow of aid, with « no excuses ».
Ms Harris said a six-week ceasefire would get hostages out and get a significant amount of aid into the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
She also said there is a « deal on the table » and Hamas « needs to agree to that ».
Ms Harris is on Tuesday due to meet top Israeli politician Benny Gantz, who will also have talks in Washington with US secretary of state Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
Although Mr Gantz is in Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, he is also a political rival and has reportedly been rebuked by the Israeli prime minister for his visit to America for those discussions.
It comes as a senior US official said the path to a ceasefire in Gaza was « straightforward », with mediators returning to Egypt hoping to reach an agreement before Ramadan begins in a week.
The unidentified official was speaking to the Reuters news agency ahead of the talks in Cairo, billed as the final hurdle to a six-week ceasefire.
The US said a deal has already been « more or less accepted » by Israel and is waiting for approval by Hamas militants.
But after the Hamas delegation arrived, a Palestinian official said the deal was « not yet there », and on the Israeli side there was doubt over whether its delegation would even attend the latest round of talks.
Israeli officials reportedly boycotted negotiations in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas rejected their demand for a complete list naming hostages who are still alive. Hamas also reportedly wants a permanent ceasefire to be part of any deal.
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