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       It is another sign of the widening cracks in Israel's government nearly five months into its war with Hamas.

       The trip to the US by Benny Gantz, who is a centrist, comes amid mounting tensions between Washington and Israel's right wing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, over Gaza.

       An official from Netanyahu’s Likud party said Gantz’s visit was without authorisation from the Israeli leader.

       The official said Netanyahu had a “tough talk” with Gantz about the trip and told him the country has “just one prime minister.”

       Another Israeli official said Gantz had told Netanyahu about his plans to travel to the US, which they said were meant to strengthen ties with Washington, bolster support for Israel's ground campaign and help free Israeli hostages still in Gaza.

       FILE – Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel museum in Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Sebastian Scheiner/Copyright 2017 The AP. All rights reserved.

       Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tanked in popularity since the country's war with Hamas broke out, according to most opinion polls.

       US priorities in the region have increasingly been hampered by Netanyahu’s ultra-nationalist cabinet.

       Gantz’s more moderate party at times acts as a counterweight to Netanyahu's far-right allies.

       Israel's leader has tanked in popularity since the war broke out, according to most opinion polls.

       Many Israelis hold him responsible for Hamas’ cross-border raid in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 taken hostage.

       Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 30,410 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

       The US wants to see progress on the creation of a Palestinian state, envisioning a revamped Palestinian leadership running Gaza with an eye toward eventual statehood.

       But this goal is opposed by Netanyahu and hardliners in his government.

       Gantz, who polls show would earn enough support to become prime minister if a vote were held today, has remained vague about his view of Palestinian statehood.

       If the political rifts grow and Gantz quits the government, the floodgates will open to broader protests by a public that was already unhappy with the government when Hamas struck, said Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

       “There is a lot of anger,” he said, listing grievances that were building well before 7th October.

       “The moment you have that anger and a coalition that is disconnected from the people, there will be fireworks.”

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       More than 355,000 Russian personnel have been killed and wounded in the Ukraine war, according to the UK MoD.

       In its daily update published on Sunday, the UK Ministry of Defence estimated that the average daily number of Russian casualties throughout February was the highest since the start of the invasion.

       It put the figure at 983 casualties per day.

       Both Kyiv and Moscow shroud their causality counts in secrecy, due to the effects they can have on army morale, populations at home and how the war is perceived abroad.

       Each side can overestimate the number of enemy dead and wounded, meanwhile.

       Euronews could not independently verify the figures from the UK, one of Kyiv's principal European allies.

       Friends and relatives visit the grave of a Ukrainian serviceman at the Kryvyi Rih cemetery in eastern Ukraine, Sunday, April 23, 2023.Bernat Armangue/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.

       Writing on X, the UK MoD said the mounting Russian casualties reflect Moscow's "commitment to mass and attritional warfare."

       "Although costly in terms of human life, the resulting effect has increased the pressure on Ukraine's position across the frontline," it added.

       It is unclear how the UK MoD counts the number of Russian dead and wounded.

       In February, Russian forces captured the Ukrainian town of Adviivka - their biggest gain in many months - after one of the most intense battles of the war.

       Russia's Defence Ministry said its troops advanced some 9 kilometres and would press forward after the deadly urban battle in the eastern Donetsk region.

       On 25 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in action since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

       "Not 300,000, not 150,000, not whatever Putin and his deceitful circle have been lying about. But nevertheless, each of these losses is a great sacrifice for us,” he said in Kyiv.

       It was the first time Ukraine confirmed the number of its losses, but Zelenskyy did not disclose the number of troops that were wounded or missing.

       Ukraine's number one said no exact figure would be given until the war ended.

       Russia has provided few official casualty figures.

       The most recent data from the Defense Ministry, published in January 2023, pointed to just over 6,000 deaths.

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       Swiss citizens voted to increase pension payments in a referendum on Sunday, according to preliminary projections by the country's public broadcaster SRF.

       That's despite warnings from government and business the rise is unaffordable.

       The referendum also contained a separate proposal to raise the retirement age from 65 to 66, which will likely be comfortably defeated.

       Polls had shown that more than 60% of voters would reject the increase, which also sought to peg retirement age "flexibly" to life expectancy.

       The outcome of the vote on boosting pension payments was unclear, though initial results published by SFR show 58% backed the introduction of an extra 13th monthly pension payment each year.

       Just 42% were against it, suggesting a stronger victory than the polls suggested.

       The measure, promoted by the Swiss Trade Union Federation, still needs backing from a majority of Switzerland's 26 cantons to pass.

       People enjoy hiking at lake of Oeschinen "Oeschinensee" (1578 meters above sea level) and the mountains, above Kandersteg, Switzerland, Sunday, July 30, 2017. Anthony Anex/A？ KEYSTONE / ANTHONY ANEX

       Critics of the pension payment boost claim it will be costly for the state and could lead to tax increases, particularly for the younger, working population.

       Swiss voters have previously been reluctant to support measures deemed financially unsound.

       Monthly social security payments in Switzerland can rise to 2,450 Swiss francs (2,553 euros) for individuals and 3,675 francs (3830 euros) for married couples.

       Concern about living costs was one factor driving the vote, with Switzerland consistently ranked as one of the most expensive countries in the world.

       On average, a kilo of chicken costs around 25 euros and a loaf of bread is more than 3.20 euros, according to the cost of living tracker Numbeo.

       Voters against the retirement age increase claim the elderly already have problems finding work, with the rise potentially worsening the situation.

       Swiss citizens have repeatedly rejected initiatives to increase the retirement age, which has remained unchanged since state pensions were introduced in 1948.

       Life expectancy in Switzerland is currently one of the highest in the world.

       A Swiss male born in 2022 can expect to live 81.6 years, while for women it is 85.4 years, according to the Swiss Federal Statistics Office.