Israel’s government approved the deal with Hamas after deliberations among the 33-member cabinet lasted for seven hours and unusually ran into early Saturday morning on Shabbat,

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem congratulated Palestinians on Saturday over the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying in a speech that it proved the "persistence of resistance" against Israel.

Israel's government has approved the new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for it to take effect on Sunday. The decision came after hours of discussions that continued late into the night. Two far-right ministers voted against the deal.