Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday evening to call for the release of captives held in the Gaza Strip. As indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began in Qatar, the imminent arrival of Donald Trump in the White House and the release of a hostage video revived hopes.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, multiple officials announced Wednesday.

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttled between the Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha on Tuesday, where officials said a deal to halt the war is near.

Israeli negotiators attending ceasefire and hostage release talks in Doha have expressed “cautious optimism,” even as some gaps between both sides persist, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday, in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza.

According to the Houthi spokesman, the missile hit the target and Israeli air defense systems "failed to intercept it."

DOHA, January 18. /TASS/. A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will come into force at 8:30 a.m. local time (6:30 a.m. GMT) on January 19, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said.

In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Houthi forces launched a precision missile strike on Tel Aviv, targeting Israel’s Ministry of Defense. The attack, carried out using Thulfiqar ballistic missiles,

Qatar, which mediated the agreement, said the cease-fire deal was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Qatar, a key negotiator in the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, confirmed Saturday that the first hostages will be released in less than 24 hours. Qatari Foreign Minister Majid al-Ansari

With an Israel-Hamas cease-fire set to begin, the shock waves from their war have reshaped the region in unexpected ways.