Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a "last minute crisis" with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited agreement to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages.

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.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end to the war sparked by Hamas' attack on Israel in October 2023. A deal has finally been reached.