Mughrabi and James Mackenzie JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli warplanes and artillery attacked the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday and Palestinian medics said eight people were killed shortly after Israel and Hamas missed a deadline for a ceasefire that could pave the way for halting the Middle East's most devastating conflict in years.

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.

First phase expected to begin on Sunday with the release of some hostages but Netanyahu and Hamas could still break the agreement

According to the January 8 Guardian, the New York Times refused to publish an anti-war ad from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) that referred

"If Israelis don’t control it, they don’t control Gaza,” Middle East analyst Daniel Pipes says of the Philadelphi Corridor.

Hamas has reportedly agreed to a draft of a multi-phase cease-fire deal with Israel that would include the release of hostages who were taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

In remarks delivered by aide, pontiff also condemns rise in antisemitism and calls for an end to Ukraine war and other global conflicts

Israel’s government voted in favour of the truce after the country’s security cabinet, chaired by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed to the ceasefire and hostage deal earlier on Friday. The vote is believed to have been 24 in favour and eight against early on Saturday morning local time.

News of a ceasefire deal on Wednesday also felt long overdue to Rabbi Eitan Krul of the Congregation Shaar Hashalom in Houston. Krul, who moved to the U.S. two years ago from Israel, said as a religious leader, his aim is on being bigger than the agendas of political leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of backing out of a cease-fire deal to release hostages and bring a pause to more than a year of fighting.

Netanyahu says US will back return to war with only hours until Gaza ceasefire - The ceasefire deal was signed off by Israel’s government on Saturday morning - but attacks have continued on the Gaza S

Pro-Palestinian activists and Jewish leaders in Toronto say they are relieved at news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas to pause the 15-month war in the Gaza Strip.Pro-Palestinian groups say they will continue to protest in Toronto because they want to hold Israel accountable for the bombardment in Gaza.