Israel's cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday, a day before the agreement's scheduled start.

Lead U.S. Negotiator on the Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal Brett McGurk tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he formed a “very close partnership, even friendship” with President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff amid the ceasefire and hostage negotiations.

According to the sources, US President Joe Biden’s Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Qatari and Egyptian mediators worked on the deal, Axios rep

Connecticut officials and organizations responded to news of a potential Israel-Hamas ceasefire with a mix of reactions.

A senior administration official provided more details about how the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release agreement finally came together.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken is “confident” the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal will be implemented on Sunday, he told reporters Thursday morning. His comments came hours after the deal’s progress was cast into doubt following a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that Hamas had reneged on parts of the agreement.

But the extraordinary collaboration between outgoing and incoming presidents did not stop both sides from claiming credit.

President Joe Biden and his top diplomats, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had sought closure during his term.

The Israel-Hamas deal was made possible by 18-hour days and a "remarkable" partnership between Joe Biden and Donald Trump's Mideast envoys -- but even then it seemed it might come apart at the last minute.

CNN By Kevin Liptak, Michael Williams, Nikki Carvajal, Alayna Treene and Arlette Saenz, CNN Washington (CNN) — When Qatar’s prime minister emerged Wednesday to declare — at long last — that a ceasefire-for-hostage deal had been struck in Gaza,

After nearly a year and a half of war in Gaza, a ceasefire and hostage deal was struck between Israel and Hamas. The deal was mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar and will begin this weekend.