What will come next remains unclear in the absence of a comprehensive agreement on the postwar future of Gaza, and although the stated aim of the ceasefire is to end the war entirely, it could easily unravel.

Citizens of Israel, the United States, Britain, Mexico, Thailand and other countries were among about 250 people abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 raids into Israel.

The agreement is set to halt a 15-month-old war between Israel and Hamas that has decimated the Strip, killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis, and destabilised the Middle East.

The Israeli government ratified the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, after a cabinet meeting that lasted more than six hours and ended in the early hours of Saturday.

The ceasefire agreement, reached with Hamas, provides for the swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

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