Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said Tuesday that "a ceasefire without reaching an agreement is rejected. In times of war, you don't cease fire and then negotiate."

On Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced a three-step plan, which starts with a 12-hour ceasefire that would take effect on Tuesday morning.

The ministry said the truce would be followed by the opening of border crossings, and talks in Egypt’s capital Cairo between the sides.

Israel's cabinet is reportedly set to meet on Tuesday to discuss the proposal. Tel Aviv has ignored the UN’s call for a truce and is continuing its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Israel continued to pound Gaza on Monday for the seventh straight day. The overall death toll from seven days of Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave has risen to nearly 190. The Israeli military began its latest assault on Gaza last Tuesday, July 8.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have also been injured as a result of the ongoing assaults.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the Tel Aviv regime will not stop its attacks on Gaza.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

BA/BA