Egypt’s Gaza ceasefire initiative has given world powers some diplomatic progress to point to in a war that has devastated the Palestinian territory and inflamed Arab and Muslim opinion.

A wounded Palestinian arrives at a hospital in Beit Lahia as Israel resumed its Gaza bombardment after a three-hour lull

It also restores Cairo, a US ally, to the forefront of Middle East diplomacy at a time when its reputation has taken a battering in the Arab world for standing by while Palestinians suffered.