Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump and thanked him for securing the hostage deal and putting an "end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families", his office said in a statement, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Netanyahu has agreed to meet Trump soon in Washington, according to the statement. It added that during the phone call, the Israeli prime minister thanked US President Joe Biden for his help in the hostage deal.
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog called on his country's security cabinet and government to approve the ceasefire agreement with "Hamas", the DPA reported.
"Sisters and brothers, citizens of Israel, we are at a crucial moment," Herzog said in a statement released by his office.
After more than 15 months of fierce fighting, Israel and the Islamist movement have agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to mediator Qatar. It is expected to take effect on Sunday and will initially last 42 days. First, however, it must be approved by the security cabinet and the Israeli government.
"Hamas" will release 33 Israeli prisoners, including civilian women, children, the elderly, the sick, civilians and the wounded, in exchange for several prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Details of the second and third phases will be finalized when the first phase is completed.
"For hundreds of days, our sisters and brothers were held and tortured by vile murderers after the state of Israel failed to fulfill its duty and the most basic contract between the state and its citizens - when it failed to protect them and prevent their abductions," Herzog said.
"Now we must take a step towards correcting this," he added. "I offer my support to the prime minister and the negotiating team in their efforts to finalize this deal and I call on the cabinet and the government of Israel to accept and approve it when it is presented - to bring our sons and daughters home."
He said the ceasefire "is the right move", adding: "There is no greater moral, human, Jewish or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us - whether to rebuild their homes or to be buried".
At the same time, Herzog warned that the deal would involve painful, challenging and upsetting moments. He also said that everything possible would be done to ensure that every last one of the 98 hostages was returned home.
Despite the breakthrough, Gaza residents said Israeli airstrikes continued into the evening in the Palestinian enclave, where local health authorities say more than 46,000 people have died in the conflict. Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip were bombed and 20 people were killed, according to medics.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement through a monitoring mechanism established in Cairo, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al Thani said, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped for "lasting peace".
"We hope that this agreement will be beneficial for our region and for all humanity, especially for our Palestinian brothers, and that it will pave the way for lasting peace and stability," he wrote in "Els". "We will mobilize all our resources to help Gaza heal its wounds and get back on its feet," added Erdogan, who has long supported "Hamas" and the Palestinian cause.
US President Joe Biden, for his part, stressed that he had worked "as a team" with his successor Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, to conclude the tripartite agreement on Gaza.
"I would also like to note that this agreement was conceived under my administration, but its terms will be fulfilled for the most part by the next administration. "We have been talking as a team in recent days," he said in a speech at the White House.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, called for a political solution, Reuters noted, citing his statement in "Ex".
"After fifteen months of unjustified suffering, the people of Gaza have experienced immense relief, and the hostages and their families have hope," Macron said.
"The hostages must be released. The people of Gaza (must be) saved. A political solution must be found," the French leader stressed.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
"The Kingdom stresses the importance of adhering to the agreement and ending the Israeli aggression in Gaza and the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the strip" Gaza and from "all other Palestinian and Arab territories", the statement said.
Riyadh insists on a "two-state solution", an option that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects, AFP recalls.
Iraq also welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and "Hamas", but stressed "the need to allow the immediate arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories".
Given that the ceasefire was concluded after "huge casualties and great suffering of the Palestinian people" in Gaza, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry called for "intensified international efforts to rebuild the areas affected by the destruction during the Israeli aggression" in order to "guarantee the return to normal life and improve the living conditions of the population".
"This puts an end to a bloody chapter in the history of the Palestinian people, who have suffered greatly under the Israeli aggression", said the caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates described the agreement as a path to easing the difficult conditions in Gaza. It called on both sides to abide by the agreement to end the suffering of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, while stressing the urgent need to allow humanitarian aid into the blockaded coastal enclave.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi stressed the need for international action to address what he described as a humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Israeli attacks. He reaffirmed Jordan's commitment to continue providing humanitarian aid to those affected.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also welcomed the agreement, Reuters reported, citing a post on the "Ex" platform. The Egyptian president stressed the importance of the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal was "long overdue" and called for a "huge influx of humanitarian aid", BNR reported.
Keir Starmer reiterated the need for a two-state solution to the conflict that would "secure a lasting better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people".
The Prime Minister said that those killed by "Hamas", including Britons, would not be forgotten and would be forever mourned:
"After months of devastating bloodshed and countless casualties, this is the long-awaited news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have been desperately waiting for," Starmer said.
He said that the hostages, who were brutally driven from their homes and held captive in unimaginable conditions, could now finally return to their families.
And for the innocent Palestinians, whose homes have become a war zone overnight, this ceasefire should allow a huge influx of humanitarian aid that is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement, stressing that "the priority now must be to alleviate the immense suffering caused by this conflict," Reuters reported.
"""The UN stands ready to support the implementation of this agreement and to sustainably increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer," he told reporters.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen also welcomed the agreement, AFP and DPA reported.
"This brings hope to the entire region, where people have been enduring immense suffering for far too long", von der Leyen wrote in "Ex". She called on Israel and "Hamas" to fully implement the agreement.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaia Kallas said it was now time to implement the agreement for the benefit of all hostages and their families, the people of Gaza and the people of the region. In an op-ed in "Ex" she described its conclusion as "a major, positive breakthrough towards ending the violence."
The first to react from European leaders was European Commissioner Dubravka Suica, AFP notes. She said the agreement would bring "much-needed relief to those affected by this devastating conflict".
European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola, for her part, expressed hope in "Ex" for a potential "turning point for lasting peace". According to her, the plan could trigger a "wave of aid" and act as a "catalyst that turns despair into hope".
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also believes the agreement is an opportunity to finally end the war.
"It is good that an agreement seems to have been reached on a ceasefire and the release of hostages - including Germans - in Gaza! "Now the agreement must be fully implemented," he wrote in "Ex." All hostages must be released and the remains of the dead hostages handed over to their families for a dignified farewell. "The ceasefire makes it possible to finally end the war and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. We will continue to advocate for this," Scholz wrote. "Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the agreement, saying it was "crucial for achieving regional stability." It is also "an indispensable step towards a two-state solution and a just peace that respects international law", he added in "Ex".
The agreement "must put an end to the conflict, allow us to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and release all the hostages", Sanchez stressed.
According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, the agreement promises "profound relief after so much unbearable pain and suffering".
"Now it is imperative that it be preserved", he added in his statement.