Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are eager to leave miserable tent camps and return to their homes if a long-awaited ceasefire agreement halts the Israel-Hamas war.

The Israeli Cabinet will convene early Friday to ratify a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal with Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Thursday. The Israel Broadcasting Authority KAN reported the developments on X, citing an official. The agreement, announced by Qatar on Wednesday, is set to take effect Sunday.

"So, why don't we make our own graves? Either to protect us from the cold or to bury us in them if the Israeli army bombs the place where we live," he said.

A strike in Bureij, a Palestinian refugee camp located in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday night killed at least three people, including two women. (AP Video Production by Wafaa Shurafa)

President Biden and President-elect Trump are each seeking to claim credit for the deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of Israeli hostages.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office said earlier there were last minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire th

Doctor Khaled al-Saidani checks a patient at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah city, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Doctor Khaled al-Saidani is seen at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah city, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect talks for more than a year aimed at ending the war in Gaza and returning scores of militant-held hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Qatari and Hamas officials say a ceasefire has been reached to pause Israel's war in Gaza and release dozens of hostages.

The United States and Qatar announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, pausing the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clearing the way for dozens of Israeli hostages to