Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal that is expected to deliver a temporary halt to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and secure release of the hostages who have been in the hands of the

After months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, there is hope that the remaining details of the ceasefire deal will be resolved within hours and could go into effect on Jan.

The Israeli government must still formally approve the deal, which calls for Israel’s withdrawal from some areas of Gaza and the return of hostages taken by Hamas.