Renewed violence over Gaza despite ceasefire moves gaining speed

GAZA: Diplomatic moves towards a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict gathered pace on Thursday after US President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation, but Israel threatened to step up strikes on Gaza as Hamas rocket fire resumed after a pause.

After a senior Hamas official predicted a truce within days, an Egyptian security source - whose country has been mediating between the sides - said they had agreed in principle to a mutual halt in hostilities but details needed to be worked out. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled a 7 pm (1600 GMT) meeting of his security cabinet to discuss options.