Israel has accepted an Egyptian proposal to end the week-long conflict in Gaza, suggesting that an end to the violence, which has killed more than 180 Palestinians, could be in sight.
But, in a sign of the animosity between the Cairo regime and Hamas, the Islamic movement in Gaza rejected the plan, saying it had not been consulted and terms for an end to the conflict had not been reached.
Pressure on Hamas to end rocket attacks on Israeli will mount following Israel's indication of a readiness to bring the fighting to an close. The US secretary of state, John Kerry, is closely involved, along with Middle East envoy Tony Blair.
The Arab League welcomed the Cairo initiative "to protect the lives of the innocent", further increasing pressure on Hamas.
President Barack Obama said: "We are encouraged that Egypt has made a proposal to accomplish this (truce) goal which we hope can restore a calm that we've been seeking." In a speech, he stressed US support for Israel in the face of Hamas's "inexcusable" attacks and voiced concern for Palestinian civilian casualties.
The Egyptian deal proposes a full ceasefire to come into effect 12 hours after the start of "de-escalation", which should be followed within 48 hours by separate talks between the two parties and neutral mediators on terms for an agreement.
A spokesman for Egypt's foreign ministry said the proposal was still in play, despite Hamas's rejection.
"Israel has announced its acceptance of the initiative, the Arab League has accepted it and called on the concerned parties to abide by it, we are in touch with Abu Mazen [Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas] – so we're still waiting for [an official response from] the other side," said Badr Abdellaty.
Overnight, only two rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, according to the Israeli military. Israel struck 25 sites in Gaza, killing at least three people.
The Israeli security cabinet accepted the Egyptian deal shortly before 9am local time – the time at which Cairo had called for "de-escalation" to begin.
"The cabinet has decided to accept the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire starting 9am today," Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said on Twitter.
Israel said its cessation of air strikes was dependent on an end to rocket fire.
Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, rejected the truce deal, saying: "Our battle with the enemy continues and will increase in ferocity and intensity." It described the proposal as a "surrender".
Hamas's spokesmen in Gaza said the Islamist group had not received an official ceasefire proposal, and its demands must be met before it lays down its weapons. Hamas has specifically called for the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the release of Palestinian prisoners Israel rearrested after freeing them in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.
Hamas's suspicions are likely to have been exacerbated by Blair's apparent involvement in mediating between the Egyptian president, Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, and Netanyahu. According to diplomatic sources, Blair has been a key interlocutor in recent days.
But the Middle East envoy has little credibility among most Palestinians as he is seen as a staunch defender of Israel's interest and an enthusiast for the Cairo regime and its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, the ideological parent of Hamas. Since Sisi came to power a year ago, the Brotherhood has been outlawed and attitudes towards Gaza, and Hamas in particular, have hardened.
Israel may have calculated that its bombardment of Gaza over the past eight days has achieved its goal of punishing Hamas and the people of the coastal enclave. It may be reluctant to escalate the offensive further, with a ground invasion, for fear of risking Israeli lives and fatally crippling Hamas – a move that would allow more radical groups to fill a power vacuum in Gaza.
Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defence official, said Hamas had been weakened by the air and sea assault on Gaza.
"Look at the balance, and you see that Hamas tried every possible means of striking at Israel while bringing great and terrible damage on its people, from their perspective," Gilad told Israel's Army Radio.
"The Egyptian proposal includes a halt to all kind of [military] activity. What this proposal, if it is accepted, means is that, willy-nilly, Hamas did not manage to make good on its intentions."
Previous military confrontations between Israel and Hamas – Operation Pillar of Defence in November 2012, and Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09 – ended in ceasefire and negotiated agreements that eventually broke down. Most diplomats believe the cycle will continue unless the fundamental underlying causes of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict are addressed and resolved.
Three rockets were launched from the Egyptian Sinai at the southern Israeli resort of Eilat, wounding four people, according to Israeli officials. They said the salvo was likely fired by Islamist fighters hostile to Israel and the Egyptian government.
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