The international community has welcomed a much-awaited ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel that involves the release of some hostages and an Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The deal, which will be implemented in three phases, will take effect on Sunday.

An agreement was reached on Wednesday following months of strenuous mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Though pending the approval of Israeli authorities, the deal is set to begin with an initial 42-day phase in which fighting will halt and the Israeli military will withdraw from populated areas to the outskirts of Gaza.

Humanitarian aid is expected to enter Gaza, with 600 trucks arriving daily to bring things including fuel to restore electricity, Israel's State-owned Kan TV news reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in Beijing on Thursday that China welcomes the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas.

China hopes that the agreement can be effectively implemented to achieve a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Guo said at a regular daily news briefing.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, China has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire to end the fighting and has worked to cool down the situation, protect civilians and carry out humanitarian relief efforts, Guo said.

"China supports the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and will continue to make active efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and support post-war reconstruction in Gaza," he added.

Many Palestinians in Gaza celebrated, hoping that the 15-month ordeal would soon be over.

"I'm having mixed feelings right now, because when you are trying to survive, you don't really feel grief and now that we are less stressed the grief starts," Fatma Jamal Muhaisen, a nutritionist at Al Helou International Hospital in Gaza City, told China Daily via WhatsApp. "But there were some tears of joy, thankfully. We can't believe it is over, we really can't believe it."

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stressed that such an agreement must lead to the cessation of Israeli aggression and a guarantee that it would not be repeated. He made the remarks in a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held up a Cabinet vote on the ceasefire deal that was scheduled for Thursday, accusing Hamas of making last-minute demands. It was unclear what impact the delay would have on the deal. However, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying, "There is no basis to Netanyahu's claims about the movement backtracking from terms in the ceasefire agreement."

Meanwhile, Israel stepped up attacks on the Gaza Strip after the announcement, killing at least 73 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for the deal to be completed.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among those who welcomed the ceasefire agreement, commending Egypt, Qatar and the US, and calling for all to "uphold their commitments and ensure the full implementation of the deal".

In a post on X, Guterres urged the parties and relevant partners "to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political path to a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and the broader region".

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also welcomed the deal, with Hissein Brahim Taha, its secretary-general, saying the ceasefire should lead to a permanent cessation of Israeli aggression, the return of the displaced, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces and the provision of unhindered humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed in a statement the need to adhere to the agreement, saying that it hoped the deal "will permanently end this brutal Israeli war".

In a post on X, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, "Our work has not ended; this is merely a step forward."

He added that they would continue to work "until all terms of the agreement are applied, until we have achieved peace and are able to turn the last page of war".

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza "to confront the current catastrophic humanitarian situation, without any obstacles".

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a post on X that the ceasefire agreement is a valuable step for justice and humanity.