The latest friction in negotiations comes as the fighting nears 20 months of war, and as desperation grows among hungry Palestinians and relatives of hostages in Gaza.

The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the militant group.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.