A ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel has been reached after intensive negotiations in Qatar.
The deal, due to take effect on Sunday, will pause Israel's 15-month conflict.
Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli officials.
Israel's bombardment of Gaza has killed an estimated 46,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The first phase of the new agreement would involve a ceasefire for at least six weeks, and the release of 33 of the estimated 100 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, and about 1,000 Palestinians held in Israel's prisons.
From Tel Aviv to central Gaza, people took to the streets to mark the deal.
"By God, we are very happy that this crisis, sadness, bombing and death that happened to us is finally over and that we will return to our hometowns and return to our families in Beit Hanoun, Gaza and the north (of Gaza) and see our families who remained alive and see our lives, return to our old lives and be happy and live like we used to."
— Abdallah Al-Baysouni, a displaced Palestinian man in Gaza.
"This is not an agreement, this is just hell. Trump promised us hell and we are in hell. The government doesn't have a mandate to bring just part of them, they need to bring all of them back. My brother is going to come in the first stage but we don't know what his condition is, we don't know if he is alive, we know nothing."
— Daniel Algarat, whose brother Itzhak Elgarat, 69, was abducted by Hamas from Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7.
"We have no strength left. We are waiting for there to be no blood, no killings, no wounded, no destruction, no displacement. It is enough."
--- Rami Abu Shera, a man who was displaced from his home in Khan Younis.
"I think that that's amazing, we've been waiting so long for our hostages to finally come home, praying, hoping, and now it's finally happening. And we're so excited."
— Ariella Cohen, an 18-year-old who was sitting with friends in a Jerusalem cafe.
"Even though it has already been bombed, at least we return to our land. The moment a ceasefire takes hold, there is a psychological relief, and you return to the land you used to live on better than being in humiliation."
— Aman Abu Jarad, a displaced woman from Beit Hanoun, Gaza.
"These days are horrible for us. I want to know already if they're coming back. I want to know already if they're OK or not. I want to hold my cousin in my arms and celebrate the biggest celebration."
— Yafit Zailer, who broke down into sobs over the thought of her relatives — Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir — being released after 15 months of captivity.
"Thank God that the agreement has been reached and that we will return to our homes, to our families, and to our loved ones ... [however] it is true that our homes are gone, and our loved ones, our brothers, and our families are gone."
— Haitham Doghmosh, a Palestinian man in central Gaza, summing up the mixed reactions of relief and loss after the ceasefire was announced.
"Another roller coaster is coming — is he alive or not? Should I prepare (for) a funeral or should I prepare (for) a celebration?"
— Daniel Lifshitz, whose 84-year-old grandfather, Oded, is being held captive in Gaza along with many of his friends.
"We would ululate as we go back home safely, but our homes have been bombed and everything is gone. Where do we go?"
— Kifaiya Al-Attar, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya.
"Since November 2023, we have been anxiously awaiting this moment, and now, after over 460 days of our family members being held in Hamas tunnels, we are closer than ever to reuniting with our loved ones. However, deep anxiety and concerns accompany us regarding the possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind."
— Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters in a statement.
