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

Though their losses are incalculable, the people of Gaza were overjoyed by the announcement of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

The deal, mediated by the United States, offered a glimmer of hope in a conflict that has taken an immense human toll.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a last-minute dispute with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited ceasefire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory.

Rifts with Hamas and a far-right minister’s threat to resign complicated progress toward the Israeli cabinet’s vote on the deal, which includes the release of hostages.

The city of Jenin in the northern West Bank has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades.

President Joe Biden and his top diplomats, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had sought closure during his term.

A year after Israel vowed to wipe Hamas ‘off the face of the earth’ following the 7 October attack into Israel the conflict has spread across the Middle East

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.

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

The deal, not yet formally announced, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel.