Hamas said it had approved a proposal to halt the war in Gaza and swap Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian armed group told Al Jazeera Arabic on Wednesday that its delegation had submitted a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement to mediators for approval.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said some aspects of the proposal "have not yet been resolved."

"Several provisions of the framework remain unresolved and we hope to finalize the details tonight," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu is expected to hold a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

It comes after mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt reported that a potential deal to end Israel's 15-month war in Gaza was closer than ever and could be finalized soon, but there were no guarantees. They said implementation could begin "immediately" after the agreement is signed.

three stages

Citing an official with knowledge of the negotiations, Reuters reported that the proposed deal would be carried out in three phases. During an initial six-week phase, Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from central Gaza and Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

According to Reuters, Hamas will release 33 Israeli prisoners within these six weeks, including all female soldiers and civilians, children and men over 50 years old. Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for every civilian prisoner it releases and 50 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli soldier it releases.

The second phase of negotiations will begin on Day 16 of the first phase and is expected to include the release of remaining prisoners and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The third phase is expected to include the return of the bodies and the start of reconstruction work in Gaza, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu held a meeting on Wednesday with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. After the meeting, Smotrich released a video, saying, "There is only one thing in front of me, and that is the achievement of all the goals of the war."

Both Smotrich and the firebrand national security minister Itamar Ben-Gwere are staunchly opposed to the deal and this week threatened again that they could quit the government if it passes. Ben-Gewell met with some members of parliament on Wednesday.

Israel has previously said its main goal in the war is to "destroy" Hamas and secure the release of prisoners still held in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Hamas has recruited almost as many new fighters as it has lost in its war with Israel, adding that the group cannot be defeated by "military action" alone.

Washington has also been trying to rally allies behind an eventual takeover of the enclave by a "reformed" Palestinian Authority to prevent the resurgence of Hamas.

Representatives from some 85 countries gathered at Oslo City Hall on Wednesday to discuss ways to achieve a two-state solution. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide said it was time to address "what happens after a ceasefire."

Families of Israelis still imprisoned in Gaza staged massive demonstrations again in Tel Aviv and elsewhere on Tuesday evening, demanding a deadline for a deal.

Israel affairs analyst Dan Perry told Al Jazeera that the prospect of a ceasefire evoked two main reactions in Israel: first, joy at the possible release of Israeli prisoners and the end of the war; second, disapproval of Hamas. The fear, despite being militarily exhausted, would actually remain in power.

"It's clear that if Israel pulls out of Gaza, Hamas will remain in power," Perry said. "For that, I think many people will blame Netanyahu because the Palestinian Authority is clearly an alternative to Hamas."

"People die every hour"

The Israeli military has stepped up deadly attacks in the Gaza Strip as a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal appears to be getting closer to the finish line.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 59 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday.

The situation for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza remains dire, with air and ground attacks continuing and most aid blocked by Israel.

Gaza's health ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli attacks had killed at least 46,707 Palestinians since the war began, an increase of 62 from the previous day. The number of injured has also risen to at least 110,265, the report said.

Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, said people in Gaza are watching developments in Doha, but at the same time, people are dying every hour.

"The more we hear about a potential ceasefire, the faster the attacks are happening and the more families are being targeted and killed. More people have been targeted in homes over the past 72 hours."

These include a nighttime attack on a family in Deir el-Balah that killed at least 12 people, including children, and an airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp where an Israeli bomb killed at least five people .

The Israeli army also ordered new forced displacements, this time targeting Palestinians living in the Jabaliya area of ​​northern Gaza, where the more than 100-day siege has so far left more than 5,000 people dead or missing.

Israeli shelling on Wednesday knocked out power to an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza after the Israeli military set fire to Kamal Adwan Hospital last month and arrested its director, as attacks on medical facilities continued.