10-Day Truce Proposed in Talks With Hamas, Israel

The offensive has killed at least 1,025 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, including 300 children and teenagers, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza Health Ministry. The toll included 68 Palestinians who were killed or died of wounds Wednesday. More than 4,500 Palestinians have been wounded, medical officials said. Thirteen Israelis have also been killed, four by rocket fire from Gaza.

An explosion from an Israeli airstrike is seen on the outskirts of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14,...

An explosion from an Israeli airstrike is seen on the outskirts of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. Israeli aircraft struck a Gaza City cemetery Wednesday, pulverizing newly buried bodies, and pounded militants' weapons positions and arms smuggling tunnels, witnesses and the military said, as guerrillas in Lebanon raised the specter of a new front by sending rockets crashing into northern Israel. (AP Photo / Anja Niedringhaus)

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Jakob Kellenberger, head of the international Red Cross, welcomed the three-hour daily lulls in the fighting set by Israelis to let groups send in aid and assist the wounded in Gaza, but he said more time was needed.

"You must have access at any time to people who are wounded," he said.

Israel showed no signs of slowing its bruising offensive as fighting raged early Thursday north and south of Gaza City, where explosions and gunfire could be heard. Hospital officials said seven people were killed — four militants shortly after midnight in southern Gaza and three people an hour later in Gaza City.

On Wednesday, Israel struck some 60 targets. One airstrike hit an overcrowded cemetery, spreading human remains over a wide area. The army said the airstrike targeted a weapons cache hidden near the graveyard. And two firefighters were killed in an airstrike as they extinguished a blaze started by a shell in a residential building, Palestinian medics said.

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Under the Egyptian proposal, Hamas would back off its demand that Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza and borders be opened immediately as part of any halt in fighting.

Instead, Israeli forces would remain in place during a 10-day cease-fire until details on border security are worked out, Egyptian and Palestinian officials close to the talks told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of the closed-door negotiations.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met late Wednesday with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to discuss the cease-fire efforts. In a sign of progress, Israel's chief negotiator, Amos Gilad, planned to fly to Egypt on Thursday to present Israel's stance, a senior defense official said. Gilad had put off the trip in recent days, saying the time was not yet ripe.

A senior Israeli official said it was far from certain that Israel would accept the deal. He said Israel welcomed many parts of the plan, but is concerned that Hamas will not respect a cease-fire as long as troops are in Gaza. The Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. Israel has made clear that the Cairo talks are key to determining whether it widens its offensive.