What will come next remains unclear in the absence of a comprehensive agreement on the postwar future of Gaza, and although the stated aim of the ceasefire is to end the war entirely, it could easily unravel.

Two parents and two of their sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their tent in the Mawasi area near Khan Younis. A relative told an NBC News crew that the family had been celebrating news of the ceasefire agreement days earlier.

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 expected to begin Sunday. Follow for live updates.

Israel's prime minister says his country is ready to go back to war in Gaza if negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas collapses.

The ceasefire as agreed to in Qatar is set to last 42 days. Over that period, 33 hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, there will be a slow withdrawal of the Israeli military from urban centers in Gaza and a surge of humanitarian aid.

Long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is due to begin at 630am GMT on Sunday – but hostages’ families and Palestinians all fear the deal could fall at the final hurdle

Israel’s government approved a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for the agreement to take effect Sunday and potentially signalling a new chapter in a bloody 15-month conflict that has enflamed the Middle East.

Netanyahu's office said Hamas had "reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions."

Israel's cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal that goes into effect Sunday. The deal could mean a stop to the fighting and the release of hostages in the war between Israel and Hamas that has killed at least 47,

An explosion was seen on the Gaza skyline from southern Israel early on Sunday morning ahead of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which is set to begin, pausing the devastating 15-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.

TEL AVIV, January 19. /TASS/. Israel will be ready to resume combat operations in the Gaza Strip by new means and will all its might, if need be, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address.