Current sectionMiddle East NewsShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeChildren celebrating the cease-fire announcement outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Thursday.News of a cease-fire triggered joyous celebrations across Gaza – mixed with disbelief as Palestinians recall the breakdown from the previous truce after two months in March: 'We're scared to say the war has ended, because the last time we did, we lost family and friends'Nagham ZbeedatOctober 09, 2025Two days after the two-year anniversary of Hamas' October 7 attack and the start of Israel's war in Gaza, both sides announced on Thursday that they had reached an agreement on the first phase of a deal to end the war and release the hostages. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel-Gaza WarGazaPalestiniansCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesTrump-IranIsrael ElectionsJerusalem DayGaza FlotillaEurovisionIsrael-NYTHaQuizHaaretz PodcastTrump Says He Would Accept Iran Suspending Its Nuclear Program for 20 YearsEverybody Loses in the Cynical Israeli-Palestinian Sexual Violence CompetitionNetanyahu's Pick for Mossad Chief Attacks AG, Says She's Acting in 'Bad Faith'Israel, Lebanon Resume Talks Amid IDF Eviction Orders, Hezbollah Drone AttacksIran Accuses UAE of Direct Role in Attacks Against It at BRICS MeetingRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Hasidic Jews Behind Florida's Giant Golden Trump Statue'A Slave Economy': Inside Israel's ultra-Orthodox Parallel StateStarlink Users, Beware – Israeli Tech Can Reveal Your IdentityIt Wasn't Just Revenge That Israel Was After in GazaIsraeli Artists Slam Venice Biennale Participation: 'Again, Israel as a Victim'Trump Collides With Reality in Latest Iran Standoff