GAZA STRIP: Israel has "more or less accepted" a proposal for a six-week ceasefire in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a US official said Saturday (Mar 2) as Palestinian negotiators were expected in Cairo.

Mediators have been scrambling to lock in a truce before Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month which begins on Mar 10 or 11, eyeing an end to the almost five-month conflict that has ravaged Hamas-ruled Gaza.