Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would use the Gaza ceasefire deal as momentum to expand the Abraham Accords, U.S.-backed agreements struck during the president-elect's first term that normalized Israel's relations with several Arab countries.

President-elect Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz on Saturday told the families of American Israeli hostages being held by Hamas that the Trump administration is committed to making sure all phases of the hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal are implemented by Israel and Hamas,

Mughrabi and James Mackenzie JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip took effect on Sunday after a nearly three-hour delay, pausing a 15-month-old war that has brought devastation and seismic political change to the Middle East.

Qatar says the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) on Sunday. This will pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of