Negotiators from Israel and Hamas are making final efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza in Doha, with all parties saying a deal is close.

The breakthrough came on Wednesday, reports said, citing unnamed Israeli officials, that Hamas had agreed to the latest draft proposed by mediators from Qatar, the United States and Egypt.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office quickly denied the reports. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian armed groups.

On Tuesday night, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they were "close" to a deal and were awaiting "Hamas' final decision."

A senior Hamas official later told Reuters that Hamas had yet to formally respond to the draft because Israel had not submitted maps showing how its troops would withdraw from Gaza.

However, Israel's Haaretz newspaper quoted Israeli sources as denying Hamas' claims about the maps.

The proposed three-phase deal would begin with an initial six-week ceasefire.

A Palestinian official told the BBC that Hamas would release three hostages on the first day of the deal, after which Israel would begin withdrawing troops from densely populated areas.

He said more hostages would be released in the coming weeks as Israel allowed displaced residents to return to northern areas.

Israel said it expected to release 33 hostages in the first phase in return for the release of an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

The second phase of negotiations will begin in two weeks and will include the release of remaining hostages, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and "sustainable calm."

A spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that there were no major issues standing in the way of a deal and that he hoped talks would "conclude a deal soon."

However, he warned that "the smallest details" could derail the process.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. The Israeli military launched an operation to destroy the organization.

Since then, more than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Most of the 2.3 million people have also been displaced, causing widespread destruction and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter as aid is difficult to reach those in need.

Israel says 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom are presumed dead. In addition, four Israelis were abducted before the war, two of whom died.

Relatives of the remaining hostages have urged the Israeli government to make every effort to reach a deal and bring them all home.

"We cannot miss this moment. This is the last moment; we can save them," said Hadas Kalderon, 54-year-old wife of Ofer Kalderon.

Palestinians also dare to hope that this devastating 15-month war is coming to an end.

Amal Saleh, 54, told Reuters: "We are waiting for a ceasefire and a truce. May God be merciful and do it for us, grant us peace and allow us to return to our homes."

"Even if schools are bombed, destroyed, destroyed, we just want to know that we are finally living in peace."

As negotiations continued, the intensity of the war did not diminish.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday morning that it had carried out attacks on more than 50 targets in the territory in the past day.

Gaza's health ministry said at least 62 people died during the same period.

Eleven people were killed, including four children, after an attack on a house in the central town of Deir al-Balah overnight, the civil defense agency told AFP.

As Kifaya Shakula searched through the rubble of the destroyed building, she said the dead included her uncle and aunt, their children and grandchildren.

"People were waiting for them to declare a truce. But, unfortunately, we woke up... to the news that they had become martyrs. What can we say?"

Seven other people were reportedly killed in an attack on a school in northern Gaza City that was being used as a shelter for displaced families.

The Israeli military said it targeted a "terrorist with a central position" at a school in the city and also carried out attacks on Hamas operatives in Deir al-Balah and the southern city of Khan Younis.

It added that measures had been taken to mitigate harm to civilians and accused Hamas of using civilian buildings for military purposes.