The deal, mediated by the United States, offered a glimmer of hope in a conflict that has taken an immense human toll.

The agreement follows months of intermittent negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar, with support from the United States, and was reached just before the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

A year after Israel vowed to wipe Hamas ‘off the face of the earth’ following the 7 October attack into Israel the conflict has spread across the Middle East