Egypt has proposed an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange of Hamas for some prisoners, Egypt's president said on Sunday as Israeli military strikes killed 45 Palestinians across the enclave.

Speaking alongside Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a press conference in Cairo, Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that talks should resume within 10 days of implementing the temporary ceasefire in efforts to reach a permanent one.

There was no immediate comment from Israel or Hamas but a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort told Reuters: "I expect Hamas would listen to the new offers, but it remains determined that any agreement must end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza."

Israel has said the war cannot end until Hamas has been wiped out as a military force and governing entity in Gaza.

The death toll from Israel's retaliatory air and ground onslaught in Gaza is approaching 43,000, Gaza health officials say, with the densely populated enclave in ruins.

An official briefed on the talks told Reuters earlier on Sunday that negotiations in Doha will seek a short-term ceasefire and the release of some hostages being held by Hamas in exchange for Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners.

The objective, still elusive after multiple mediation attempts, is to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a halt in fighting for less than a month in the hope this would lead to a more permanent ceasefire.