President-elect Donald Trump's influence over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the defining factor in reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Netanyahu's "fear of Trump is greater than his fear of his extreme right-wing coalition partners," Israeli expert told Newsweek.

President-elect Donald Trump’s tough diplomacy lingered large over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s swift action on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Israel's negotiating team had finalized a deal on the release of hostages held in Gaza.

The agreement will initiate the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the release of both Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is tapping the brakes on claims of success by President Biden, President-elect Trump and partners in the Middle East that a ceasefire and hostage release

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire that would pause 15 months of war.

Mediators say Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement following weeks of negotiations, pausing a destructive 15-month war in Gaza. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says details have yet to be finalized.

The Polish government had said it would allow Netanyahu to come to the memorial event for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement it is "ready to help implement the agreement reached by the parties and bring hostages and detainees home," as mediators and combatants in Gaza prepare for Wednesday's ceasefire deal to come into effect on Sunday.

The ceasefire as agreed to in Qatar is set to last 42 days. Over that period, 33 hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, there will be a slow withdrawal of the Israeli military from urban centers in Gaza and a surge of humanitarian aid.