It is a major moment in this most grievous Gaza war.
Most of all, it is a human moment. The first sparks tell this story: the dancing in the dark in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, the eruption of joy in the dead of night in the ruined streets of Gaza.
In the coastal enclave where so much of life as they knew it has been smashed by war, Palestinians went through the streets, like medieval town criers, waking people up with shouts of "good news, the war has stopped, a ceasefire deal has been reached".
If all unfolds as it should on Thursday, the last of the Israeli hostages will be home within days and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will also return to their loved ones. The guns will fall silent in Gaza, more aid will flow into the ravaged enclave, and Palestinians won't live each day fearing it could be their last.
But even now some details, including the names of the Palestinian detainees to be freed, are being argued over. And there's strident opposition to this agreement inside Israel's cabinet.
