The Israel-Hamas war has devastated the Gaza Strip. Satellite photos offer some sense of the destruction in the territory.

JERUSALEM - A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin at 8.30am (2.30pm Singapore time) on Jan 19, mediator Qatar has said after Israel’s Cabinet voted to approve the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner release deal.

After intense negotiations, Israel and Hamas have reached a deal that would see a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an official briefed on the deal told Reuters on Wednesday, opening the way to a possible end to a devastating 15-month conflict.

Israeli government officials said they would wait at least until tomorrow before voting to ratify a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of dozens of Israeli hostages. The vote, which had been expected today, was delayed as diplomats raced to work through last-minute disputes between the two sides.

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will go into effect in less than 24 hours, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

A visual guide to how much has changed in the Gaza Strip since Israel began its military response to Hamas's attacks on 7 October.

If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed.

A cohort of gray-haired uptown residents are suing Columbia University over the closure of its “College Walk,” a stretch of quad space on its Morningside Heights campus cut off to the public after

After months of deadlock, Israel and the militant group Hamas reached a fresh Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

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