The ceasefire as agreed to in Qatar is set to last 42 days. Over that period, 33 hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, there will be a slow withdrawal of the Israeli military from urban centers in Gaza and a surge of humanitarian aid.

Early Saturday morning, Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal for a cease-fire in Gaza that would release dozens of hostages and pause the 15-month war with Hamas, bringing the sides a step closer to ending their deadliest and most destructive fighting ever.

Israel on Saturday approved a ceasefire deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas that involves release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli forces struck in the enclave before the agreement's scheduled start on Sunday.

A team of doctors in Israel is preparing for the return of the hostages from Gaza with the expectation that many are likely to have severe, life-threatening complications from spending more than a year in captivity.

The Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement is expected to take effect as soon as Sunday. But the most significant diplomatic breakthrough in over a year of brutal war between Israel and Hamas is rife with risks,

Qatar’s foreign ministry says the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday

The deal is expected to begin Sunday, with the exchange of several hostages held in Gaza for a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem congratulated Palestinians on Saturday over the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying in a speech that it proved the "persistence of resistance" against Israel. The remarks were the first in public by the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.

The Gulf War was all about the US showing off a new doctrine. This was a doctrine that learned the lessons of Vietnam in terms of fighting a fast war with clear goals. Israel has now been bogged down in Gaza for fifteen months with no clear goals. This is where Israel can learn what the US learned from Vietnam.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to halt the commencement of tomorrow morning's agreed ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas releases a list of names for the first set of freed hostages.

Throughout his first term, Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to withhold federal disaster aid from Democrat-led states and cities. In some cases - like in response to Washington’s devastating wildfires in 2020 - Trump actually did deny aid,