The militant Islamist group Hamas has warned Israel must agree to Palestinian demands or brace itself for a long war.

Osama Hamdan, the foreign affairs chief of Hamas, said that proposals put forward to Palestinian negotiators in Cairo-mediated talks fell short of what they were seeking.

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"Israel must accept the demands of the Palestinian people or face a long war," Hamdan said on Facebook.

The talks in Cairo aimed to bring an end to fighting in Gaza that has killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 65 Israelis.

The two sides agreed on Wednesday to extend a ceasefire agreement to allow indirect negotiations on a lasting truce to continue.

But the latest comments from Hamas appeared to dash hopes for a long-term cessation of hostilities when the ceasefire expires on Monday.

Reuters said an Israeli official who requested anonymity revealed that Israel had not agreed to any proposals and added that a deal was possible only if its security interests were satisfied.

Israel, which launched air strikes on Gaza on July 8 after Hamas stepped up rocket attacks on the Jewish state, wants the militants to be disarmed.

For its part, Hamas is demanding an end to an Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip, as well as the establishment of an airport and seaport as part any long-term ceasefire with Israel.

The Cairo talks would continue on Sunday between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, including representatives of Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Our goal is to stop fighting and to stick to the Egyptian initiative, and no other," Abbas said in the Israeli occupied West Bank town of Ramallah.

The negotiations do not involve any face-to-face meeting as Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group.

While a broad segment of the Israeli public supports the Gaza offensive, right-wing government officials are concerned that concessions to Hamas would give the group greater economic or diplomatic clout.

Thousands of Israeli activists and left-wing groups opposed to the government policy on Gaza protested on Saturday in Tel Aviv.

TagsIsrael, Hamas, Gaza conflict, Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Mahmoud Abbas