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Hello and welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service. I'm Paul Henley and the programme's coming to you live from London.

Now, it's been a long time since the international community has been united in saying something positive about the situation in Gaza.

With the Israeli government reported to be on the verge of ratifying the first phase of a landmark agreement on a ceasefire,

there appears to be a universal approval outside Israel of a U.S.-back deal,

signed earlier in Egypt under the supervision of Gulf states

to see all remaining Israeli hostages and 2,000 Palestinian prisoners freed.

The Israeli army seems to be on course to withdraw to an agreed line in Gaza,

even though it had still controlled just over half the strip.

News of the deal was greeted with big outbursts of joy in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv,

where families have congregated for the past two years,

pressing for the release of Hamas as captives.

From there, Lucy Williamson reports.

The crowds here in Hostage Square have been celebrating all morning.

There's been singing, dancing, drumming, a real sense of joy and release.

Many people here have been coming here to Hostages Square week after week after week for two years,

demanding that their leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, do a deal to get the hostages home.

But it's not Israel's leader who's getting the credit here today.

It's the American one, Donald Trump.

There are US flags here flying alongside the Israeli ones

and a big banner saying, we love you, Trump.

I feel like tears and they have a big emotion.

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