Israel, Hamas close to Gaza ceasefire deal

Negotiators from Israel and Hamas are going to make a final push to seal a Gaza ceasefire in Doha.

There were reports of a breakthrough on Wednesday, with unnamed Israeli officials cited as saying that Hamas had agreed to the latest draft presented by Qatari, US and Egyptian mediators.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office however swiftly denied the reports. There was also no immediate comment from the Palestinian armed group.

A senior Hamas official later told a news agency it had not delivered its official response to the draft because Israel had yet to submit maps showing how its troops would withdraw from areas of Gaza. 

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Most of the 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to an struggle to get aid to those in need.

Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.