Evening recap

Our live blog is now closed until tomorrow morning.

Here are the day’s key developments:

– The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the Gaza ceasefire deal agreed upon one day earlier in Egypt. The ceasefire went into effect in the enclave at 1:30am local time, with reporters there confirming the skies have gone quiet.

– The United States will deploy 200 troops as part of a joint task force for Gaza stability, with no Americans actually on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US officials said.

– Hamas chief Khalil el-Hayya, in a video message, said he has received assurances from the mediators – Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the US – that Israel’s war on Gaza has come to a “complete end” via the implementation of the current ceasefire deal. 

– US President Donald Trump will fly to Israel and Egypt this weekend as part of ceasefire deal ceremonies in the region, he said.

– Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that his country will take part in efforts to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza.