By Andrew Mills, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should start on Sunday as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a "loose end" at the last minute,

Israel and Hamas agreed to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, mediators announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.

Mediators say Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating 15-month war and flood humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Fighters from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, control the crowd while Red Cross vehicles come to collect Israeli hostages to be released under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar, File)

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of dozens of hostages. Newsweek's live blog is closed.

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttled between the Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha on Tuesday, where officials said a deal to halt the war is near.

Qatar says it is hopeful that a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal could be agreed "very soon", with negotiators from Israel and Hamas beginning a "final stage" of indirect talks in Doha.

The Gaza Strip ceasefire should begin on Sunday as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a "loose end" at the last minute, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

At least 17 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes on the enclave continue as Israel and Hamas appear to narrow in on a ceasefire deal. View on euronews

“It needs to be addressed as a whole. The whole issue is to find a sustainable path toward peace and where we can see Israel and Palestinians living side by side peacefully together and giving every assurance that both people will be secure,” he tells Channel 12’s Arad Nir in Paris.

The first stage of the deal would see 33 hostages set free, including children and women. Read more at straitstimes.com.