Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal to end 15 months of war
US President Joe Biden confirmed the deal, which involves a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all the hostages held by Hamas
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says easing "the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict" is the first priority, with the UN ready to increase aid deliveries to the Palestinians
Despite the deal, which does not come into effect until Sunday, 19 January, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported that Israeli airstrikes killed more than 20 people on Wednesday
Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages
The attack triggered a massive Israeli offensive on Gaza, during which more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry
According to BBC Verify research, 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead
Watch: Biden confirms Israel and Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal
Tom Bateman
State Department correspondent, Washington DC
A source briefed on the talks tells the BBC: "Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal reached following Qatari PM’s meeting with Hamas negotiators and separately Israeli negotiators in his office."
US President-elect Donald Trump has just written on Truth Social: "WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!"
Israel and Hamas have agreed a ceasefire deal, a source briefed on the talks tells CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.
The source says it follows the Qatari PM’s meeting with Hamas negotiators and separately Israeli negotiators in his office.
It is hoped that a ceasefire deal will mean an agreement to stop the war in Gaza.
It is also expected to see an exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Hamas seized 251 hostages when it attacked Israel in October 2023. It is still holding 94 captive, although Israel believes that only 60 are still alive.
Israel is expected to release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, some jailed for years, in return for the hostages.
A Hamas official has told the BBC it has told Qatari and Egyptian mediators that Hamas has approved the ceasefire agreement.
The official spoke to the BBC as Israeli media reported Hamas had introduced last-minute demands to the ceasefire deal - moments before Qatar was due to hold a news conference on the state of the talks.
The reports in Israeli media said it had issued fresh demands about the Philadelphi Corridor - a strategically important strip of land along Gaza's southern border with Egypt.
Months of negotiations are now coming to a head, leading to a flurry of briefings from all sides. Stay with us as we unpick it all.
While we wait for the press conference in Doha to begin, we've just heard Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has cut short his diplomatic visit to Italy following progress in talks to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal.
In a statement, the foreign ministry says Saar will return to Israel tonight to take part in the expected security cabinet and government votes on a deal.
He had been scheduled to travel to Hungary to attend further diplomatic talks tomorrow.
As is often the case with news conferences, the Qatari update expected to have begun at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) has been delayed.
We've not been told by how long the timings have slipped. Stay with us.
The Qatari news conference is set to begin in the next few minutes.
We're expecting the update to come from Majed al Ansari, the Qatari prime minister's spokesman.
There have been efforts to agree a ceasefire in Gaza since a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas in November 2023 broke down on the seventh day.
We're hearing conflicting reports about the timing of the news conference in Doha.
Initially, reports from Qatar suggested it was imminent. We're now hearing the update could be held at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT), or even later.
There are also reports it may be the Qatari prime minister's spokesman delivering the update, rather than the PM himself.
It's a fast-moving situation in Doha as months of negotiations come to a head - we'll have all the latest on this page.
Tom Bateman
State Department correspondent
Last night, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Joe Biden’s hopes that a ceasefire deal was imminent. Beyond that, this was a significant speech that contained new details.
He laid out for the first time the plan the administration wants to hand over to President Trump for post-war Gaza. The bottom line here is it didn’t envisage immediate full control of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority (PA) – the entity created by the Oslo Accords that has limited governance in parts of the occupied West Bank.
Critically, Gaza’s security forces would be comprised of personnel from other countries - most likely Arab states although he didn’t name them - alongside “vetted” Palestinian forces.
Likewise civil government meant to replace Hamas – rebuilding, running schools, hospitals, public funds, water etc – would be a mix of some PA, some local leaders, “international partners” and the UN.
This is a long-way from Palestinian self governance but is pitched by the Americans as an “interim” step towards “time-bound” PA control and ultimately a path to a so-called two state solution – an independent Palestinian state.
In reality the plan is a compromise designed to appease the Israeli leadership which opposes full PA control of Gaza, while also bringing in Arab support and trying to prevent long-term Israeli occupation of Gaza on the ground.
But there’s also the reality in this region that the temporarily imposed fix often ends up becoming the permanently entrenched problem.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe update we're expecting from Doha comes after incumbent US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last night that a deal was "ready to be concluded and implemented".
Blinken said the ball was "now in Hamas's court", adding: "If Hamas accepts, the deal is ready to be concluded and implemented."
He added the US has a goal of ending the war in Gaza and normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Negotiators from Israel and Hamas appear closer to securing a Gaza ceasefire deal, after 15 months of war.
There's been reports of a breakthrough, 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 denied the reports. There was also no immediate comment from the Palestinian side.
But now we are expecting an update from Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, who is due to hold a press conference in Doha.
His country has been hosting talks, with Israeli and Hamas teams in the same building, although not speaking directly.
Stay with us for live updates of the news conference, plus analysis from our teams in the Middle East and around the world.