Israel and Hamas have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal following meetings with Qatar's prime minister, a source briefed on the talks has told the BBC. There was no confirmation from the Israeli government or Hamas, but a Hamas official earlier told the BBC it had approved a draft from Qatari, US and Egyptian mediators.

Months of tedious talks over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza – negotiations that required officials from an outgoing and incoming presidential administration to put aside their fundamental differences – culminated in an intense late-night push for an agreement that finally came to fruition on Wednesday.

Key mediator Qatar said on Wednesday that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory. Two sources close to Hamas earlier told AFP that Israel would release about 1,