GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Israel and Hamas appeared at odds on Thursday over prolonging a 72-hour Gaza ceasefire, with Israel indicating it will back an unconditional extension but Hamas denying any agreement.
Fighting has ceased since 8 a.m. Tuesday, bringing relief to the Gaza Strip after the deaths of over 1,800 Palestinians and 67 Israelis.
Egyptian mediators have accelerated efforts to extend the truce after it expires at 8 a.m. on Friday, shuttling between Israeli and Palestinian delegations in Cairo.
"Israel has no problem extending the ceasefire unconditionally," an Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity late Wednesday. There was no immediate reaction from Hamas.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said 27,000 reservists called up for the conflict had been sent home, leaving a force of 55,000 still on active duty, in another sign of growing hopes for long-term quiet.
But Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzouq, part of the Palestinian delegation holding talks in Cairo, denied overnight there was yet any agreement.
"There is no agreement to extend the ceasefire," he wrote on Twitter. more
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