A fragile ceasefire around Gaza held for a second day on Friday as Israel’s relations with its US ally showed new signs of strain with tough talks looming on a more lasting peace.
Washington denied a report that the White House was tightening the reins on the routine delivery of military aid to Israel over concerns about the proportionality of its military action in Gaza.
But the State Department acknowledged that arms shipments were being kept under review in the face of a conflict that has killed 1,962 Palestinians and 67 people on the Israeli side since July 8.
Egyptian mediators won a new five-day ceasefire late Wednesday to give Israeli and Palestinian negotiators more time to thrash out a longer-term truce. The ceasefire got off to a rocky start in its first few hours but Israeli officials said it had held into a second day on Friday.
The military said there was no Palestinian rocket fire overnight and that it had carried out no air strikes. “There was nothing,” a spokeswoman said.
Negotiations are expected to resume in Cairo on Saturday evening, as Palestinian and Israeli negotiators consult with their political leaderships about the parameters for an eventual long-term truce.