Thousands of Israelis gathered on Saturday night across the country, on the eve of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, to demand from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he not resume the war until the last of the 98 kidnapped individuals who remain captive is back home.

Police thwart attack at Kalandiya crossing in West Bank • Israeli public split on war achievements • Israeli government approves hostage deal

The truce between Israel and Hamas was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time. The first Israeli hostages were to be released hours later in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, plans to be a near-constant presence in the region in an attempt to prevent the deal from unraveling.

A long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to free later on Sunday.

The Israeli military says it “continues to attack” inside the Gaza Strip as a dispute with Hamas delayed the start of a planned ceasefire. Rear Adm.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a "last minute crisis" with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited agreement to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes meanwhile killed dozens of people across the war-ravaged territory.

Israeli police said that an assailant stabbed and seriously wounded a person in the centre of commercial hub Tel Aviv on Saturday, before being shot and "neutralised" by a civilian. "An armed civilian nearby shot and neutralised" the attacker.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, multiple officials announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.

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

Celebrations erupted across the world after the US, Egypt, and Qatar announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end more than 15 months of