An Israeli man looks on from a view point as Israeli forces bombard the northern Gaza Strip on January 18, 2025, a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect following the Israeli cabinet's approval of a deal between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin at 0630 GMT on January 19, mediator Qatar said after Israel's cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal. In more than 15 months of war between Hamas Palestinian militants and Israel, there has been only one previous truce, for one week, in November 2023 that also saw a hostage-prisoner exchange. (Photo by John Wessels / AFP)