After a week of negotiations, Israel rejected on Friday a Gaza cease-fire proposal presented by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, according to Agence France-Press.

Kerry's proposal reportedly involved an initial truce to be followed by negotiations on a final deal by delegations from all the parties.

Kerry met U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Egypt's foreign minister today as pressure mounted for a cease-fire.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported, however, there will be a temporary cease-fire agreed to by Hamas and Israel for 12 hours, starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday.

The Associated Press reported more than half-dozen foreign ministers from Britain, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Qatar, including Kerry, will meet in France to press for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Israel’s defense minister said it might broaden its ground operations into Gaza.

The 18-day Israeli Forces offensive has led the deaths of more than 800 Palestinians, 75 percent of whom were civilians, and the wounding of more than 4,500. Israeli suffered 39 deaths, 37 of them soldiers.

The latest report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 167,000 displaced people are being housed in 95 UNRWA and government schools, but overcrowding is intensifying with some 80 per classroom adding stress to already traumatized families.

OCHA said a media report from the maternity ward of Shifa hospital in Gaza said a rise is being reported in the number of miscarriages, premature births and child mortality among pregnant mothers. Several of the over 100 women killed since the start of offensive were reportedly pregnant.

OCHA also reported, “The World Health Organization calls for the creation of a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of the injured, as well as supply of life-saving medicines. The corridor should extend to protect the safe passage of patients to access crossing points and exit outside the Gaza strip for medical care.”

In an analysis by The Associated Press, the rockets that Israel keeps complaining about being fired by Hamas have more range. “Now Hamas is firing at Tel-Aviv, which is 50 miles north of the [Gaza] strip, and even at some cities beyond. One landed near Tel Aviv airport, causing US and European airlines to suspend flights,“ AP reported.