Israel and Hamas have agreed to a humanitarian pause in Gaza that will last for at least four days, according to the Qatari government. The start of the temporary cease-fire will be announced within 24 hours, it said.
The agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages who are currently held in the Palestinian enclave, in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the announcement said.
Earlier, the Israeli government voted to accept a deal that would release some hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his war cabinet for the vote on Tuesday.
The U.S. State Department had reiterated later in the day that "we're close to a deal," but cautioned that Israeli cabinet members were in the process of discussing the matter.
Earlier, Netanyahu said negotiations on the release of hostages taken by Hamas were making progress. "I don't think it's worth saying too much, not even at this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon," Benjamin Netanyahu said, according to a Google-translated statement from his office.
It comes after Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said that the Palestinian militant group and Israel were "close to reaching a truce agreement."
Another Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq, said ongoing talks focused on an exchange of women and children held by both Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
Correction: This blog has been updated to accurately reflect that the start of the humanitarian pause will be announced in the next 24 hours. A previous version of the story misstated it.