Israel rejected an international proposal Friday for a ceasefire in its ongoing fight against Hamas-led militants in Gaza, though they are discussing potential changes to the plan with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, an anonymous government source said.

According to the source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet turned down the plan because it would not allow Israeli security forces to continue hunting down Hamas's tunnel network that criss-crosses the Gaza border. 

"Kerry's proposal leans (too much) toward Hamas's demands," the source said.

According to Gaza officials, Israeli strikes killed 55 people Friday, putting the total number of Palestinian deaths in 18 days of fighting at 844, most of them civilians. Thirty-five Israeli soldiers and three civilians have also been killed in the most recent conflict.

Read the full story at Huffington Post.

Contact Senior Opinion Editor Francesca Bessey here; follow her here.