Israeli Cabinet member meets US officials as ceasefire talks get under way

Israel did not send a delegation to ceasefire talks in Cairo because it is waiting for answers from Hamas on two questions, according to an Israeli official

Palestinians check destruction after an Israeli strike in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP)

A top member of Israel’s wartime Cabinet is meeting with US officials in Washington while talks are under way in Egypt to broker a ceasefire in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins next week.

Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, travelled for talks with several senior US administration officials this week.