Negotiations between the two sides have been taking place in Qatar which is acting as a mediator.

Hamas's leader Ismail Haniyeh had said the group had "delivered its response to the brothers in Qatar and the mediators, and we are close to reaching a truce agreement", according to wire news agencies and Palestinian news outlets.

There has been no update from Israel.

It comes after a US senior official said on Monday that a deal to release hostages taken from Israel during Hamas's attacks last month, in exchange for pauses in fighting, is "closer than ever before".