A 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire that went into effect at 8 a.m. Saturday expired at 8 p.m. as rocket fire resumed from Hamas and Israeli ground operations continued in Gaza. Sirens blared again across southern and central Israel warning of incoming rockets immediately after 8:01 p.m. Iron Dome defenses intercepted rockets at Shfela in the Eshkol region.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proposed a four-hour extension of the ceasefire. Israel accepted the proposal, but Hamas rejected it. During the lull, Israeli forces said they continued to uncover and destroy tunnel entrances and infrastructure as they stated before the ceasefire. The Israeli Security Council was ready to accept a 24-hour extension on condition that Israeli troops were allowed to continue clearing out Hamas tunnels used to infilitrate the Jewish state.

Kerry had worked tirelessly over the last few days with diplomats from France, Britain. Italy, Germany, the European Union, Turkey and Qatar to arrange the humanitarian ceasefire and expand it. He said he hoped this would start a momentum toward a seven day ceasefire while addressing issues leading the way to a permanent truce ending the 20 day conflict.

In Paris, diplomats went back to talks intended at ending the current conflict, with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, saying everyone wanted to "obtain, as quickly as possible, a durable, negotiated ceasefire that responds both to Israeli needs in terms of security and to Palestinian needs in terms of the social-economic development and access to the territory of Gaza."

During the ceasefire, Palestinian officials said they found as many as 150 bodies in the rubble of several neighborhoods affected by heavy fighting. Beit Hanoun and Shijaiyah in particular had been reduced to rubble, according to reports on the ground. The scene was one of "utter devastation," said Ian Lee of CNN, who said Hamas fighters told his crew to leave the area.

Pictures from the scene showed scores of homes destroyed, debris-blocked roads and downed power lines. Israeli officials said residents of some heavily contested areas were staying past the ceasefire despite Israeli warnings to leave the area. Officials said the Israeli Defense Force would resume operations in these places regardless of who was there.

Israel continued to reject informal international proposals for a permanent truce. However, Kerry said no formal presentations were made and negotiations would continue towards a permanent cessation of hostilities. Hamas, too, has rejected any permanent truce unless their demands were met. Those negotiations centered on the wording of a possible agreement as Kerry said "serious progress had been made" although more work was needed to fill in a settlement framework already in place.

TagsGaza fighting, Israel-Gaza crisis, Israel vs. Hamas, politics, Civil unrest, conflict