A senior official of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said Thursday that a formal Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions might be struck in "the coming days."

"There is a breakthrough in the file of truce," the official MENA news agency quoted Saleh Zidan, a politburo member of the DFLP, as saying.

"There are some points that need further explanations and there will be a likelihood of announcing a truce between Palestinian factions and Israel within the coming days," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, a Hamas delegation led by the group's deputy chief of politburo Moussa Abu-Marzouk presented to Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman its latest stance on the ceasefire officially suggested by Cairo last week.

Egypt has proposed a 18-month truce in Gaza and gradual opening of the enclave's border crossings, which until now only allow a trickle of humanitarian aids.

It also suggested that the Palestinian factions revive the long-stalled reconciliation dialogue on Feb. 22, which would facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza battered by a three-week Israeli offensive.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Monday in Europe that a ceasefire in Gaza might come into effect "from next week."