Israel extended a humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip for another 24 hours, but Hamas, which dominates the coastal enclave, said it would only accept the truce if Israeli troops left the territory.
Israeli ministers had signaled that a comprehensive deal to end the 20-day conflict with Hamas and its allies, in which at least 1,050 Gazans — mostly civilians — have been killed, and 42 soldiers and three civilians in Israel have died, was remote.
"At the request of the United Nations, the Cabinet has approved a humanitarian hiatus until tomorrow at midnight local time," the official, who was not named, said in a statement after the Cabinet session held in Tel Aviv had ended. "The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will act against any breach of the cease-fire."
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