Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a multiphase ceasefire that commits them to end the war in Gaza, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch said.

Qatari and Hamas officials say a last-minute dispute in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas has been resolved.

A Hamas official also told the BBC the group had approved a draft from US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

As Israel and Hamas edge closer to a possible ceasefire-hostage agreement, a small number of families whose loved ones remain captive in Gaza are saying “No” to a deal.

WASHINGTON — More than 15 months into Israel’s devastating war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the two sides have agreed to a ceasefire deal that would pause fighting and free some Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to Associated Press on Wednesday.

Negotiators reached a phased ceasefire deal on Wednesday in the war in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

The deal would pause fighting in the Gaza Strip and begin with an exchange of some of the hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Negotiators have yet to confirm a start date and other technical issues. But if implemented, the first phase of the hard-won agreement would see dozens of hostages freed from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israel.

Negotiators said a deal between Israel and Hamas was closer than ever even as Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continued, killing at least 13.