When the war began, Hamas sent several thousand of its fighters to attack Israel. Hamas was estimated after October 7 to have around 24 “battalions.” This was around 30,000 fi

The deal kicked in at 8:15 am Gaza time on Sunday, nearly three hours after it was scheduled to come into effect.

Arab media outlets reported Sunday morning that the IDF has begun withdrawing from the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip toward the Philadelphi corridor along the border with Egypt.

CAIRO (AP) — The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will go into effect Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT), mediator Qatar announced Saturday, as families of hostages held in Gaza braced for news of loved ones, Palestinians prepared to receive freed detainees and humanitarian groups rushed to set up a surge of aid.

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is expected to start operating “soon,” according to Egyptian officials, as they prepare for a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world, has been closed since the Israeli army took over the area last May.

This 42-day ceasefire aims to halt the 15-month conflict and facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Gaza ceasefire deal begins as British citizen among first hostages set for release - The ceasefire deal was signed off by Israel’s government on Saturday morning - but attacks have continued on the Ga

The war against Hamas, which began in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, was one of the longest sustained wars that Hamas has had to face in its almost 40-year history. The group was prepared to face this challenge. Now that Hamas appears to be emerging in Gaza, it is worth asking some initial questions about how it survived.

The European Union is in talks to revive a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah following the announcement of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal, with a pause in fighting in Gaza and the phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners set to begin early Sunday. Follow for live updates.