Israel says it has killed thousands of the armed group’s members and destroyed much of its infrastructure, but since the cease-fire started Hamas has shown it still holds power in the enclave.

President Biden released a statement following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire announcement Wednesday, saying release of American hostages will be included in the agreement.

Israel and Hamas have initiated the first of several hostage and prisoner exchanges that will take place as part of a ceasefire deal.

“Hopefully in the next week we will start to see a few hostages coming back home.” Danon said he was optimistic the deal would be finalized despite attempts by Hamas to gain more concessions.

Under the deal, approved by Israel’s government, 33 Israeli hostages will be exchanged for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Watch our documentaries on the evolution and impact of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the overarching Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the sprawling ramifications, and how the most recent chapter in this long and volatile history has played out.

For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims. That could make a return to fighting more likely, but the results might be the same.

Fifteen months of devastating war in Gaza could come to a halt as soon as Sunday, with Israel’s government poised to approve a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. Though the exact

The first three hostages, Romi Gonen, 24, Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Emily Damari, 28, were released last week

For the Islamist militant group, armed struggle now looks like a dead end. Its future in Gaza depends on the civilian politburo.

The first phase of the deal reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday includes a pause in the war and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody.