One of the Israeli hostages freed on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire said Monday in her first comments since being released that she has “returned to life.”

Even before the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was fully in place, Palestinians in the war-battered Gaza Strip began to return to the remains of the homes they had evacuated during the 15-month war.

After over 15 months, a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has taken effect. Israel and Hamas agreed on a multiphase plan to exchange hostages for Palestinians held by Israel. The first are now free.

The Israel-Hamas war has devastated the Gaza Strip. Satellite photos offer some sense of the destruction in the territory.

Once the guns fell silent, Palestinians celebrated in the streets of Gaza while Israelis streamed into Tel Aviv’s “Hostages Square” to await their return.

A visual guide to how much has changed in the Gaza Strip since Israel began its military response to Hamas's attacks on 7 October.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions.

Turkey's intelligence chief discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza in a phone call on Monday with officials from the political wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas, a Turkish security source said.

Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, expected to begin its first phase Sunday, has brought relief to the international community but questions about whether the truce will hold — an issue that

The three civilians form the first group handed over under the agreement that took effect Sunday. Israel will set free around 90 Palestinian prisoners in the first round of exchanges.

Hamas is portraying it as a victory. Pro-Iran groups will see it as a victory as well. Qatar and Turkey, which back Hamas, will also see it as a victory.