MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) – The Israeli Security Cabinet voted for the extension of a 12-hour humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip by additional four hours, AP reported on Saturday.
The ceasefire was to last till midnight local time (09:00 GMT).
It remains unclear whether the extension has been backed by the Hamas movement.
According to local media, another session of the Israeli Security Cabinet was scheduled for later on Saturday in Tel Aviv. The participants were expected to debate the issue of a humanitarian pause and plans for a longer-lasting ceasefire.
Earlier in the day, international mediators from the United States, France Britain, Germany, Qatar, Turkey and Italy during a meeting in Paris called for the extension of the truce that entered into force in the Gaza Strip early Saturday.
The truce came into effect at 8:00 (05:00 GMT) a.m. and was to last till 8:00 p.m. (17:00 GMT). The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced early on Saturday that they would respond to any attempt by the militants to disrupt the agreement.
Soon after the beginning of the temporary ceasefire Palestinian Emergency Services spokesman Ashraf Qudra told RIA Novosti that the number of Palestinian who died in the conflict now raging for about three weeks surpassed 1,000.
