Special report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts

    JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said Wednesday that it is a positive step to conduct dialogues with Egypt over the its proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

    "Israel thanks Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy for their efforts to advance a solution for halting terrorist actions from Gaza and the smuggling of war materiel into the Gaza Strip from Egypt," said the office in a statement.

    "Israel views as positive the dialogue between Egyptian and Israeli officials in order to advance these issues," added the statement.

    The Jewish state is expected to dispatch a delegation to Cairo in the coming days, local daily Ha'aretz reported.

    The Israeli gesture came after Mubarak said that Egypt has sent invitations to Israel and the Palestinians for an urgent meeting "to reach arrangements and guarantees that would not allow the repeat of the current escalation."

    The arrangements, cosponsored by France, would include "securing the borders and... opening of the border crossings and lifting the siege," he added.

    Olmert's office issued the statement after the cabinet met for briefings on the Gaza operation from senior defense officials. The Israeli leadership would soon decide whether to expand the military operation or opt for a truce, local news service Ynet reported.

    Over 600 have been killed and over 2,700 others wounded in Gaza since the so-called Operation Cast Lead began on Dec. 27, and the death toll is certain to rise further. On the Israeli side, 10 have been killed so far, including four soldiers fallen in two friendly fire incidents.

    Amid growing international pressure for an immediate truce, Israel has decided to set up a "humanitarian corridor" in Gaza for delivery of basic supplies in order to "prevent a humanitarian crisis" and to stage a daily three-hour ceasefire starting Wednesday.

    Voices are also growing louder at home for a lull in the midst of fears that the operation, which started with clearly defined limited goals, might turn into a futile attempt to eliminate Hamas. Many analysts said that Israel's realistic goal is to secure a lasting ceasefire on more favorable terms.

    Far away in the United States, which has been backing Israel's Gaza offensive, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that her country, Israel's staunch ally, commends the Egyptian efforts and is willing to follow up on the initiative.