Israel has agreed to extend by four hours a humanitarian ceasefire agreed in Gaza, an Israeli government source has told Reuters news agency.
It was not immediately clear if Hamas had also agreed to prolong the original 12-hour ceasefire.
Scores of bodies have been recovered from rubble across Gaza during the initial, 12-hour ceasefire.
The humanitarian truce began at 8am local time in Gaza and many people emerged from shelters to inspect their homes and to buy food.
Israel described the truce as a humanitarian window.
Many neighbourhoods have been destroyed and bodies are being taken from the rubble across Gaza.
The death toll has reached 1,000 people in Gaza after 19 days of fighting. 37 Israeli citizens have been killed.
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Officials from the US, France, Britain and four other countries were meeting in Paris to discuss ways to help achieve a permanent ceasefire.
The German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that a ceasefire would only last if Gaza no longer served as a weapons depot for Hamas.
He also urged that living conditions be improved.
Israel's military said it would hold fire for 12 hours, but would press on with its search for tunnels used by militants.
A spokesman for the Islamist group Hamas said all Palestinian factions would abide by the brief truce.
Hamas wants an end to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza before agreeing to halt hostilities.
Protests across Ireland
People held protests, vigils and demonstrations across Ireland. www.ipsc.ie
The biggest was hosted by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Dublin, it was supported by other organisations including the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
The Dublin demonstration started at the Spire and the rally marched to the Israeli Embassy where over 1,500 people listened to Palestinian and Irish speakers.
There were protests in Belfast, Cork, Derry, Limerick, Tralee, Waterford and many other places.
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