Israel said it would continue to "locate and neutralise" Hamas tunnels
during the pause, which began at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT).
International talks on a longer truce resume later.
In Gaza, some Palestinians were seen on the streets, some attempting
to visit their homes in badly hit areas.
More than 870 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 38 Israelis have
died since the conflict started on 8 July.
Israeli strikes killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight, medical
sources said, with many casualties reported in a family home near the
southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.
Two Israeli soldiers were also killed, Israel's military confirmed.
A BBC team on the streets of Gaza City after the truce began found
scenes of destruction in the Shejaiya area
In the district of Shejaiya, residents started flooding back from
08:00 despite warnings not to do so.
The scene here is just astonishing - the most widespread destruction:
buildings completely pulverised, cars thrown 50m (160ft) into the air
on top of buildings, the facades of some block of flats completely
ripped off.
The air is pretty thick with the stench of death as people try to
recover bodies and belongings.
In the background I can hear a crackle of gunfire and although a
humanitarian ceasefire is in place, clearly people are still shooting.
There is an Israeli drone flying overhead, and we've heard the sound
of fighter jets.
I think people feel they have a brief window of opportunity to do as
much as they can and then frankly get out of here.
'Confident of ceasefire'
A spokesman for Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, Sami Abu
Zuhri said late on Friday that there was "national consensus on a
humanitarian truce... for 12 hours on Saturday".
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later confirmed the truce on
Twitterbut vowed to respond if attacked. "We will respond if
terrorists choose to exploit this time to attack IDF personnel or fire
at Israeli civilians," it said in a statement.
Banks are due to open and maintenance work is being carried out to try
to repair damage done to the electricity and water supplies during the
recent intense Israeli bombardment, she adds.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has been leading efforts to secure a ceasefire
Despite failure on Friday to agree a longer-term deal, foreign
ministers from the US, UK, Turkey and Qatar are among those meeting in
Paris later for more talks.
On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was still
confident of a longer ceasefire, despite media reports that Israel had
rejected one proposal.
"The goal is to bring together international efforts so that as
quickly as possible conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza emerge," said
a French foreign ministry spokesman.
The announcement of the humanitarian truce came shortly after Israeli
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon warned that ground operations in Gaza
could soon be broadened "significantly".
Mr Yaalon told soldiers: "You need to be ready for the possibility
that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden
the ground operation in Gaza".
Hamas has previously said it would not agree to any long-term truce
that did not lead to an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip,
which has been in place since 2007.
The British ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, said he was
disappointed at the failure to reach a longer-term truce.
But he welcomed Saturday's 12-hour pause, saying it could "open up a
little bit of space to work on a more sustainable ceasefire".
West Bank clashes
There were also clashes during protests in the West Bank on Friday
which left at least five Palestinians dead.
Palestinians in the West Bank had declared a "Day of Rage" against
Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile Israel's military said its Iron Dome defence system had
intercepted several rockets fired across the border by Hamas.
Israel launched its military offensive on 8 July with the declared
objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets into Israel.
It has since extended its operation to destroy tunnels dug by
militants to infiltrate Israel.
-BBC
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