U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives to Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. Kerry is meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as efforts for a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel continues. (AP Photo/Pool)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says negotiations toward a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip are making some progress after days of a deadly impasse between Israel and Hamas militants.
Kerry was not specific today in describing what he called steps forward in the negotiations as he met for a second time this week with United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon.
Both Kerry and Ban are in the Mideast trying to broker a new truce between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza.
More than 630 Palestinians and about 30 Israelis have been killed in most recent round of violence that began July 8.
Kerry flew into Israel’s main airport today despite a Federal Aviation Administration ban put in place a day earlier after a Hamas rocket landed nearby.