Though the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will mean an end to the fighting, the devastating consequences of the war will drag on for years in both Gaza and Israel.

The Israeli security cabinet has recommended that the full cabinet approve the proposed cease-fire and hostage release agreement, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. A full cabinet meeting intended to grant final approval for the deal will be convened later today, it said.

What began as a battle between Israel and Hamas morphed into a much wider regional conflict that has reshaped much of the Middle East.

To better understand what the cease-fire will mean for the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the Middle East, Foreign Affairs turned to Marc Lynch, a professor of political science at George Washington University and the director of its Middle East studies program.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an official briefed on the deal told Reuters on Wednesday, opening the way to a possible end to a devastating 15-month conflict.

The deal promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.

Palestinian militant group Hamas has been significantly battered by 15 months of war in Gaza but has not suffered the eradication that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intended, experts say.After sparking the deadliest war in the Palestinian territory's history,

A timeline of key moments - A year after Israel vowed to wipe Hamas ‘off the face of the earth’ in the wake of the 7 October attack into Israel the conflict has spread across the Middle East