Hamas accepts draft Gaza ceasefire agreement and release of some Israeli hostages

Hamas has accepted a draft ceasefire agreement and the release of dozens of hostages, with an Israeli official saying the details are being finalised.

Hamas said negotiations had reached their "final stage" and it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal.

An Israeli official said: "We are close, we are not there yet."

"I believe we will get a ceasefire," US secretary of state Antony Blinken said. "It's right on the brink. It's closer than it's ever been before."

Negotiators have been working on the ceasefire during more than eight hours of talks in Qatar's capital Doha.

The deal is expected to halt the most deadly and destructive war between Israel and Hamas.

It would bring respite to the Gaza Strip, where 90% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced during nearly a year and a half of war and many are at risk of famine.

Read more: What's in the proposed deal?

Nearly 100 Israeli hostages are still being held captive inside Gaza, with the military believing at least a third of those are dead.

The agreement would see the hostages released in exchange for Palestinians and militants imprisoned by Israel.

Israeli forces would withdraw from cities and towns in the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians to return to what remains of their homes, and there would be a surge in humanitarian aid.

Analysis: Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry.

The war began after Hamas militants rampaged into Israel and killed around 1,200 people and abducted another 250 on 7 October 2023. Around half of the hostages were freed during a brief ceasefire in November that year.

Any deal - if reached - would not go into effect immediately and would need approval from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet and then his full cabinet.

The Islamic Jihad militant group, which is separate from Hamas and also has hostages in Gaza, said it was sending a senior delegation to Doha to take part in the final arrangements for a ceasefire deal.

Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night in support of the proposals, but in Jerusalem hundreds of hard-liners marched against the deal.