A Palestinian negotiator says his team will quit Egyptian-brokered talks on ending the Gaza war unless Israeli negotiators return to Cairo.

Germany, France and Britain have proposed reactivating a European Union mission on the Egypt-Gaza border to help stabilise the Palestinian enclave after a month-long war, a German diplomatic source said.

The Israeli government has accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal to halt a month-long war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, a senior Israeli official has said, signalling that an end to the bloodiest round of fighting between the bitter enemies is finally approaching.