Hamas-Israel deal live updates: Ceasefire agreement goes into effect in Gaza, IDF says CEASEFIRE DEAL: A ceasefire in Gaza went into effect at 12 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), the Israeli military said, after its government approved the first phase of a deal to bring the war to an end.

Israel’s Cabinet early Friday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas, a key step toward ending the war.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their Gaza neighborhoods Saturday, as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of war and a ceasefire held.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians trekked over the wastelands of Gaza to return to the ruins of their abandoned homes on Friday, after a ceasefire took effect and Israeli troops began pulling back under the agreement to end the war.

CAIRO (AP) — Bombardment stopped and Israeli troops pulled back in Gaza on Friday under a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But will the agreement lead, as U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed, to “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”?

The first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has taken effect in Gaza under a breakthrough deal.