Live: At least 137 people killed by Israel recovered from rubble in Rafah

Hamas has released a statement on its Telegram channel confirming its approval of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"The leadership of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has just handed over to the mediator brothers its response to the ceasefire agreement proposal," the statement said. 

"The movement dealt with it responsibly and positively, based on its responsibility towards our steadfast people in the honorable Gaza Strip, by stopping the Zionist aggression against them and putting an end to the massacres and war of extermination to which they are being subjected," the statement added. 

An unnamed “senior political source” cited by several Israeli news outlets has said that Israel’s negotiating team in Qatar has received last-minute demands from Hamas regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, which Israel strongly opposes. 

Haaretz said that the demands "go against the maps that were approved by the Israel cabinet and the American mediators over the course of the negotiations". 

Hamas has informed Al Jazeera it has submitted its approval of a ceasefire in Gaza. 

More updates to come. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he is cutting short his trip to Europe and returning to Israel as a result of “developments in the negotiations to free the hostages”.

Saaar will return from Italy back to Israel on Wednesday evening local time, cancelling a trip to Hungary.

Saar said he is coming back to “take part in the discussions and expected votes in the security cabinet and the cabinet” on a potential ceasefire. 

An Israeli drone attack has killed three people in the town of Ghadir al-Bustan, near the city of Quneitra in southern Syria, according to Saudi news channel Al Hadath and Lebanon's Al Mayadeen.

Syria's Daraa 24 reported that the mayor of Ghadir al-Bustan village, Abdo al-Koma, and two security officers were killed in the Israeli attack. 

A squadron of six Israeli warplanes and a reconnaissance plane were sighted over southern Syria, Daraa 24 reported. 

Earlier this afternoon, Qatari media was reporting that Doha was set to imminently announce a Gaza ceasefire deal. 

That has now been slightly amended: Qatar's Al-Araby Al-Jadeed is now reporting that Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will hold a news conference "amid progress in the ceasefire negotiations and prisoner exchange in Gaza". 

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is set to hold a news conference on Wednesday evening to announce that a Gaza ceasefire deal has been agreed, Qatari news channel Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported.

The majority of Israeli forces have left the so-called Philadelphi Corridor - known in Egypt as the Salah al-Din axis - in recent hours, an Egyptian source has told Al-Arabiya TV. 

The corridor is a 14km-long, 100 metre-wide demilitarised buffer zone that runs along the entirety of the boundary between Egypt and Gaza. 

In the summer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared that under a truce agreement, there would be no Israeli withdrawal from the area. 

Hamas verbally approved the ceasefire proposal currently under negotiation in Qatar, but is waiting for more information before giving final written approval, an unnamed Palestinian official has told Reuters.

Hamas has not yet given a written response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal under negotiation in Qatar, an official from the group, who refused to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Israel's Broadcasting Authority refuted the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, which said Hamas had not yet responded to the ceasefire proposal.

According to the broadcaster, the office's statement is "incorrect" and Hamas responded "positively" to the proposal.

Additionally, Al Araby TV quotes an Egyptian official saying Hamas has sent its positive response.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied on Wednesday that Hamas had agreed to the Gaza ceasefire proposal from Qatari mediators, after an Israeli official said the Palestinian militant group had given its approval.

"Contrary to reports, the Hamas terror organisation has not yet returned its response to the deal," the prime minister's office said.

Reporting by Reuters

Israeli and Palestinian officials have told various Israeli media outlets that a breakthrough took place regarding ceasefire negotiations in Doha, and that the agreement is expected to be signed as early as Thursday.

"There is a breakthrough in the hostage deal negotiations in Doha. Hamas military leader in Gaza Mohammed Sinwar gave his OK," Israel's Walla news cited an Israeli official as saying.

Separataly, an anonymous Palestinian official told Israel's Kan broadcasting agency that Hamas leaders sorted out almost all the issues with the deal, saying the implementation could start within the next 24 to 48 hours.

An Israeli air strike on al-Shati refugee camp, located west of Gaza City, has left three Palestinians dead and several others wounded, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

The attack targeted one of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, where families displaced by earlier bombings have sought shelter. 

The bombing of refugee camps, often labelled as havens for displaced Palestinians, underscores the indiscriminate nature of Israel’s ongoing assault.

Medical sources informed Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed at least 38 Palestinians since dawn on Wednesday.

Among the casualties, 26 were reported in the central and southern regions of the besieged territory.