There was no immediate decision from Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Gaza residents have been using the 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire agreed earlier between the two sides to recover bodies and gather supplies.

More than 1,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 42 Israelis - two civilians - have been killed since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on 8 July.

About 5,870 Palestinians have been wounded in the 19 days of fighting, Gaza health officials say.

'Roll-over' truce

The original truce was due to expire at 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

A senior Israeli official told the BBC that the UN had requested a 24-hour extension to the ceasefire.

"At the first stage, the cabinet approved, in a phone vote, four more hours until midnight, in order to allow the cabinet to convene and discuss the UN's request," the official said.

"The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] maintains the humanitarian pause, during which, the IDF's activity to neutralise the [Hamas] tunnels will continue."

Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a senior Hamas member, said the group had not yet agreed to an extension, and that "any ceasefire agreement must befit the sacrifice and price paid by the Palestinian people in Gaza, and the firm stance by the resistance", Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

After talks in the French capital, Paris, foreign ministers from the US, Turkey, Qatar and several European countries urged both sides to extend the truce.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC it was vital to get "the ceasefire to roll over... again and again, until we've established the level of confidence that allows the parties to sit round a table to talk around the substantive issues".

Israel launched its military offensive with the declared objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets from Gaza into Israel.

It also began a ground offensive on 18 July, saying it was necessary to destroy tunnels dug by militants to infiltrate Israel.