US lawmakers hopeful of pause in Gaza war before Ramadan

Two senior U.S lawmakers who held talks with Israeli and Arab leaders said on Tuesday that they were hopeful a deal could be struck allowing a humanitarian pause in the war in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In an interview with Reuters in Amman, Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Coons – who said they had earlier met Jordan's King Abdullah and held talks with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem – said there was "broad hope" of a deal soon to release hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a pause in fighting. "Within a matter of weeks we could see a pause before Ramadan," Blumenthal, who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Reuters.