Saudi Arabia hailed the pending Gaza truce, but insists on “complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces” from the devastated Palestinian territory. Riyadh paused tentative talks on normalising ties with Israel early in the Gaza conflict and hardened its rhetoric as the war continued.

Negotiators reached a phased ceasefire deal on Wednesday in the war in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Here is some reaction to the deal.

The Israeli government ratified the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, after a cabinet meeting that lasted more than six hours and ended in the early hours of Saturday.