Israel and Hamas have reached a cease-fire deal that would bring about a much-needed pause in fighting in Gaza after 15 months of war and secure the release of 33 hostages held there, the governments of Qatar and the United States announced on Wednesday.

An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Qatar on Friday to continue negotiations on a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN on Friday.

A Palestinian source close to the talks says he expects the deal to be finalised imminently if ‘all goes well’.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign affairs minister, spoke on Jan. 15, as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire.

The announcement came soon after Israel put out a statement saying that there were still details to be worked out.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry will hold a news conference on Wednesday in Doha where the country has been hosting talks towards a Gaza ceasefire deal, a senior Qatari official said. Earlier, an invitation by Qatar's state news agency said the news conference would be hosted by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani,

Qatar has handed over drafts of a possible ceasefire agreement to both Hamas and Israel, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that this is the closest point to a deal over the past months.