Citizens of Israel, the United States, Britain, Mexico, Thailand and other countries were among about 250 people abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 raids into Israel.

A ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is set to come into effect on Sunday morning with a hostage release to follow hours later, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.

The ceasefire agreement, reached with Hamas, provides for the swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.