Israeli negotiators were taking part in talks on Gaza in Cairo, a government spokesman said, as fighting raged on the ground despite US pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement. Hopes for a deal have dwindled though as Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have traded blame for failing to reach a deal after more than 10 months of war in the Gaza Strip. A main sticking point remains Hamas’s longstanding demand for a “complete” Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed.
