Israel's full Cabinet was meeting Friday evening on the Gaza ceasefire deal that would pause the fighting and release dozens of hostages held by Hamas militants along with Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The full extent of the damage will only be known when the fighting ends and inspectors have access to the territory.

The U.N. estimates that more than 50 million tons of debris now covers Gaza's streets and would take over 15 years to clear.

To better understand what the cease-fire will mean for the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the Middle East, Foreign Affairs turned to Marc Lynch, a professor of political science at George Washington University and the director of its Middle East studies program.

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.

Israel’s security cabinet approved an agreement on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip that would free Israeli hostages, ending two days of debate that had underscored the pact’s fragility. Approval of the multi-phase deal came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,

Israeli strikes killed at least 86 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, officials said.

Under the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel has agreed to release Palestinians held in Israeli jails in return for freeing hostages taken by the militant group Hamas in their Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Satellite images provide one way to get a sense of the devastating impact of the war on the Gaza Strip. Research released in the U.S. on Thursday estimates 59.8% of all buildings in the territory Gaza likely have been damaged in the war.

Israel wants to annex the occupied West Bank and further weaken Iran, but Trump's other priorities may hold those back

Just as Palestinians in Gaza were reinvigorated with a sense of hope Wednesday after news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, deadly Israeli airstrikes continued to rain down on people just hours later,