CEASEFIRE DEAL: A ceasefire in Gaza went into effect at 12 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), the Israeli military said, after its government approved the first phase of a deal to bring the war to an end.

Over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement Thursday. More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack, and about 250 people were kidnapped, according to Israeli officials.

Israel is blocking 250 tons of aid for Gaza, including food, medical supplies and educational material, because of disagreements over its content, an Italian charity involved in last month's international flotilla said on Thursday.

There are cautious hopes two years of bloodshed in Gaza could finally come to an end and the Israeli hostages freed

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El Sisi also said Wednesday that the messages he had received out of the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh were "very encouraging."