Ceasefire talks The pathway to a pause in hostilities-and the obstacles

Last week, Joe Biden said he believed that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas could soon be reached.

- Archie Bland

But while talks continued this week, there was no respite in Gaza. Still, hopes remained that an agreement could be finalised before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

What might a deal look like?

Last Saturday, a senior US official told reporters that "the path to a ceasefire right now, literally at this hour, is straightforward". They added: "We're working around the clock to see if we can get this in place here over the coming week." Some of the key parameters included: