"In light of Egypt's efforts along these lines, we could achieve a permanent ceasefire during the first week of February," Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters, adding that significant progress had been made at talks between Egyptian mediators and representatives of Palestinian groups in the region.
Egypt has reportedly proposed February 22 as the date for the start of dialogue between the different Palestinian movements.
Said Gheit, "We will invite the Palestinian groups. We hope we will succeed in this in the third week or at the end of the third week of February."
Nihad Abdul Lateef, an aide to the foreign minister who is coordinating the conference, said on Monday its main goal was to begin the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip with broad international support. The conference participants will also discuss humanitarian aid issues for the Palestinian enclave.
Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip on December 27, targeting Hamas infrastructure in a bid to put an end to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli border towns.
The military operation left at least 1,284 Palestinians dead, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Up to 50,000 people have also been left homeless in the enclave of 1.5 million. Israel's casualties have been estimated at 13, including 10 military personnel.
Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire at 2 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT) on January 18, saying it had achieved all its objectives. Several hours after Israel's announcement, Hamas also declared an immediate ceasefire, adding that it was giving Israel a week to withdraw its troops.
Israel completed its troop pullout from Gaza on January 14.
Hamas has run the Gaza Strip since June 2007, when it seized control of the enclave after a conflict with the pro-presidential Fatah movement.
The Israeli attack on Gaza is estimated by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics to have caused nearly $2 billion worth of damage.
