In a post on X, Qatar’s foreign minister Majid Al Ansari, said the cease-fire will start at 8:30 a.m. local time Sunday. He advised people to exercise caution when the agreement

Qatar’s foreign ministry says the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday

Israel’s government approved a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for the agreement to take effect Sunday and potentially signalling a new chapter in a bloody 15-month conflict that has enflamed the Middle East.

Hamas remains the dominant Palestinian power in Gaza even after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, holding sway in displacement camps and refusing to surrender.

Netanyahu's office said Hamas had "reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions."

The deal is expected to begin Sunday, with the exchange of several hostages held in Gaza for a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Follow NBC News' live coverage as Israel and Hamas reach an agreement on the ceasefire deal after Israel delayed vote.

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

Israel will not decrease number of troops in Philadelphi Corridor, will increase them during 1st stage of deal, alleges Israeli premier - Anadolu Ajansı

Netanyahu says no Gaza truce unless hostage list released with only hours to go - The ceasefire deal was signed off by Israel’s government on Saturday morning - but attacks have continued on the Gaza

“For more than a year and three months, the IDF has been fighting Hamas and has important achievements – we have defeated Hamas’s military wing and eliminated the organization’s chain of command and its leader, Yahya Sinwar,” Halevi says following a visit to northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.