GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — On the bloodiest day so far in the more than two-week war between Israel and Hamas, negotiators may be on the verge of working out a weeklong humanitarian pause.
The pause would allow regional officials time to broker new talks toward a lasting cease-fire. Details of the agreement, first reported by Israeli media, would let Israeli forces remain in Gaza to continue destroying Hamas’s tunnel network.
Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been in the region since Monday, would only say late Thursday that there is more work to be done.
Word of diplomatic progress followed 119 Palestinians deaths, including 15 at a U.N. school serving as a shelter. Palestinian officials say the facility was struck by Israeli tank shells.
Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians have demonstrated in the West Bank near Ramallah. Some clashed with Israeli soldiers. A doctor says at least one Palestinian was killed.
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