A senior Israeli official will pay a lighting visit to Egypt on Thursday for talks with Egyptian mediators on a lasting ceasefire with Palestinian groups.

Amos Gilad, head of Israeli Defense Ministry's Diplomatic Security Bureau, will arrive in Cairo later in the day, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.

Gilad is expected to hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who is in charge of the mediation talks between Israel and Palestinian groups, MENA quoted an official Egyptian source as saying.

Earlier in the day, MENA said the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement will give its final decision on Saturday on a long-term ceasefire deal with Israel.

During the past four days, a visiting Hamas delegation held four rounds of intensive talks with Egyptian mediators on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Representatives of the Hamas team are due to leave for Damascus and Gaza Thursday for consultations with other Palestinian factions to adopt a final decision on the ceasefire.

The Hamas team will "return to Cairo on Saturday with a final decision," said MENA, citing a well-informed Egyptian source.

More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed and about 5,500 others wounded in the 22-day Israeli offensive on Gaza, which died out on January 18 with the warring sides carried out unilateral ceasefire respectively.