Egypt says 12 small Palestinian factions have agreed to Egyptian proposals for a truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt's state news agency (MENA) quotes officials as saying the Palestinian groups approved the cease-fire offer at a meeting Wednesday in Cairo. It says the truce would begin in Gaza and be extended later to the West Bank. No timeframe was given.

President Mahmoud Abbas, left, speaks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 27 Apr 2008

The larger Hamas militant group that controls Gaza told Egypt last week it would support a six-month cease-fire with Israel in Gaza, to be followed by a similar truce in the West Bank.

Egypt has been trying for months to mediate an Israeli-Palestinian deal that would include a truce, an exchange of prisoners and an opening of Gaza's border crossings.

Israel has expressed doubts about the latest Palestinian truce offers, arguing they would give militants time to re-arm.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.