Israel and Hamas studied an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday that won immediate backing from the US and Europe.
Israel pressed on with its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip for a fourth day on Tuesday despite new international calls for a ceasefire.
Israel pounded Gaza on Monday as the defence minister said the offensive against Hamas militants would go on until Israel was safe.
Israel on Monday pressed on with a deadly ground, sea and air offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip that has cut the territory in two.
Israeli tanks and infantry battled Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in a ground offensive launched after eight days of deadly air strikes.
Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters as they advanced into Gaza on Saturday in the first ground action of an eight-day offensive.
An Israeli air strike killed a senior commander of Hamas’s armed wing on Saturday while the Islamist group’s leader warned the Israeli army.
Hamas’s top leader warned Israel its army would be defeated if it invaded the Gaza Strip, while the United States said it envisioned a ceasefire.
Israel killed a senior Hamas leader in an air attack on his home on Thursday, striking its first deadly blow against the top ranks.
Israeli warplanes attacked government buildings in the Gaza Strip early on New Year’s Day after Israel and Hamas both spurned ceasefire calls.