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.

The Israeli government ratified the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, after a cabinet meeting that lasted more than six hours and ended in the early hours of Saturday.