Israel’s cabinet approved a deal that will see Hamas free all remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for around 2,000 prisoners, a major step toward ending a two-year war that’s killed tens of thousands of people and destabilized the wider Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition gave its approval overnight, around a day after negotiators for the warring sides reached an agreement in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

A ceasefire is now in place in most of Gaza and Israeli media says the country’s troops have begun to pull back from their positions. Yet there is still fighting in some areas, with Israeli forces striking a Hamas cell in northern Gaza on Thursday and the Palestinian militant group saying four people were killed. It wasn’t clear if they w

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