What is expected to happen in the coming days?

Now that the Israeli government approved the Gaza ceasefire deal early Friday, here is what is expected to happen in the coming days.

1. A ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli media say the ceasefire in Gaza will happen immediately, but the Israeli prime minister's office says it will start within 24 hours after the cabinet's approval.

2. An initial pullback of Israeli troops

Within 24 hours, the Israeli military will carry out an initial pullback to the so-called "yellow line," a reference to a ceasefire map released by the White House last month that outlines multiple stages of withdrawal.

3. A swap of hostages and detainees, including return of bodies

After this, a 72-hour countdown will begin. Hamas is to return 20 hostages believed to be alive within this period. The return of the 28 deceased hostages' bodies would follow, but the exact timeline for this process is unknown.

In exchange, Israel will free Palestinian detainees. The list includes about 270 prisoners convicted of various offenses, including attacks against Israelis, as well as around 1,700 Gaza residents held without trial who were not involved in the 2023 Hamas-led assault and are not considered militants by Israel. Among them are 22 minors under 18.

Israel will also return the bodies of 360 Gaza militants.

4. Flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza

According to the deal, Israel will also allow humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations declared a famine in August.

The UN has secured clearance from Israeli authorities for 170,000 metric tonnes of food, health and nutrition supplies, as well as shelter items and other critical aid, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Thursday.