Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell and Emily RoseJERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Palestinians headed for the rubble of their former homes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and Israelis prepared to receive the first hostages still held by Hamas after a ceasefire deal took effect that could pave the way for an end to the 15-month-old war.

Police thwart attack at Kalandiya crossing in West Bank • Israeli public split on war achievements • Israeli government approves hostage deal

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday.

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of dozens of hostages. Newsweek's live blog is closed.

Three officials from the U.S. and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said final details were still being ironed out.

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are claiming credit for the Gaza deal. But it was the incoming US president who gave Israel the ultimatum of signing on or getting alienated. It worked.

The deal, mediated by the United States, offered a glimmer of hope in a conflict that has taken an immense human toll.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released.

The anticipated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began at 11:15 local time (09:15 GMT), nearly three hours after initially scheduled. Ahram Online provides live coverage of the events, which could signal the start of the end of 470 days of a genocidal Israeli war that killed and wounded nearly 10 percent of the 2.

After the Palestinian group Hamas carried out the worst attack in Israeli history on October 7, 2023, Israel launched a devastating military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Before a ceasefire began on Sunday,

The ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip officially came into effect on Sunday morning, marking the end of 471 days of relentless military aggression by Israeli occupation forces on the besieged enclave.