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.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas hit a last-minute snag, delaying the expected announcement of a ceasefire agreement to pause the devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip.

The first phase, spanning a 42-day ceasefire, would see the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, U.S. officials said.