Israel’s cabinet was expected to meet Thursday to approve a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, Israeli media reported, a day after mediators announced an agreement, they hope will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war.

The truce would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a broader peace deal would be finalized, the prime minister of mediator Qatar said Wednesday.

Even as thousands across Gaza celebrated the ceasefire announcement, the territory’s civil defense rescue agency said on Thursday that fresh Israeli strikes had killed at least seven people in the Gaza City area.

The agreement caps months of fruitless negotiations to end the deadliest war in Gaza’s history. It will pause hostilities one day before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose Middle East envoy was involved in the talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with both US President Joe Biden and Trump on Wednesday, his office said, thanking them for their help in securing the agreement but also cautioning that “final details” were still being worked on.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, said the deal was the “right move” to bring back the hostages seized during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war. With AFP