Mediators have reached a phased agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza.

The report said the agreement was reached on Wednesday, an official familiar with the talks said.

The Israel-Hamas war has been going on for 15 months. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the brutal Israeli offensive.

The official told Reuters that the agreement, although not officially announced, sets an initial six-week ceasefire.

The terms of the agreement include a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Hamas in Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of prisoners held by Hamas.

Under the agreement, Hamas will release 33 Israeli prisoners in the first phase, all of whom are women, children and men over the age of 50.

Talks on implementing the second phase of the agreement will begin on the 16th day of the first phase. It could include the release of all remaining Israeli prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The third phase is expected to involve the return of the remaining bodies and the start of reconstruction work in Gaza. This work will be carried out under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

The outgoing US Biden administration was determined to start a ceasefire in Gaza before the end of its term. At the same time, President-elect Donald Trump has threatened several times that there will be serious problems if a hostage transfer agreement is not reached before his inauguration on January 20.

In addition, the Israeli organization 'Hostages and Missing Families Forum', which was established to demand the release of hostages, has also been demanding an immediate hostage exchange agreement.

Under pressure from all sides, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced on Saturday that a high-level delegation would be sent to finalize a hostage swap and ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Mossad Director David Barnia, Shinbet Director Ron Bar, IDF Hostage Rescue Major General (retd) Nitzan Alon, and Netanyahu's political advisor Ofir Falk participated in the ceasefire talks in Qatar.