The temporary humanitarian truce agreed to by Israel and Hamas on a UN request, was extended today by four hours by the Jewish state.

During the original 12 hour truce, Palestinians were seen trying to pull out bodies from mounds of rubble and metal of bombed homes, which took the Palestinian death toll in the clashes to over 1,000 with mostly civilian casualties.

A little after the original 12-hour truce expired at 1700 GMT, the Israeli military reported three mortar rounds fired from Gaza.

Hamas on its part claimed to have fired several rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, after the initial 12-hour truce ended. It denied of there being any "agreement" on an extension. "There is no agreement on a four-hour truce," Hamas said in a statement.

Palestinians used the original 12-hour ceasefire, to scour through rubble with medics looking for dead and injured. They claim to have retrieved over 130 bodies across the Gaza Strip.

Since the conflict began on July 8, about 5,870 Palestinians have been injured, Gaza health officials say. Before the truce came into effect, three Israeli soldiers died in fighting in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of today, according to the army.

This takes Israeli military death toll to 40, in addition to two civilians and a Thai worker killed during 19 days of fighting.