Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

(AP) — The United States and Qatar announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, pausing the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clearing the way for dozens of Israeli hostages to go home. U.S. President Joe Biden said the ceasefire will be in place as long as Israel and Hamas remain at the negotiating table on a long-term truce. The deal is expected to pause the fighting and brings hopes of winding down the most deadly and destructive war Israel and Hamas have ever fought. The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

The ceasefire brings hopes of winding down the most deadly and destructive war Israel and Hamas have ever fought — a conflict that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Large crowds of joyful Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza, cheering and honking car horns.

“No one can feel the feeling that we are experiencing now, an indescribable, indescribable feeling,” said Mahmoud Wadi in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah before joining a chanting crowd.

The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.