There are hopes that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7, 2023, might come to an end with negotiators reaching a ceasefire deal on Wednesday (January 15).

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The deal will come into effect from January 19. It outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

Hostages taken by Hamas, which controls Gaza, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Also read | Netanyahu stalls gaza ceasefire deal until Hamas drops ‘last-minute concessions’; group denies backtracking claims

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Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed 1,200 people and took 250 people as hostages. Israel retaliated hard in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 46,000 people.

Here's a timeline of the key events in the conflict so far:

Year 2023

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> October 7: Hamas militants storm into southern Israel from Gaza and rampage through communities. Retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza begin.

> October 8: Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah attacks Israel, saying its attacks were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

> October 13: Israel tells residents of Gaza City to move towards the south.

> October 19: A warship of the United States (US) Navy intercepts missiles and drones launched from Yemen towards Israel. 

Also read | Israel accuses Hamas of 'reneging' on parts of Gaza deal

> October 21: Aid trucks are allowed through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza, where food, water, medicines and fuel are running out. 

> October 27: Israel launches its offensive in Gaza, which goes on for months killing thousands and displacing the nearly entire 2.3 million population of the territory.

> November 15: The Israeli military enters Gaza's biggest hospital al-Shifa. Within a few weeks of this siege, nearly all hospitals in northern Gaza would cease to function.

> November 21: The first-ever truce deal in the Israel-Hamas war is announced. The deal lasted from November 24 to November 30 and included an exchange of about 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons.

> December 1: Fighting resumes. On December 4, the Israeli military launches its first big ground assault in southern Gaza, towards Khan Younis.

Year 2024

> January 1: On New Year's Day, Israel says it would start withdrawing troops from northern Gaza, only to fight militants again in the same area months later.

> January 26: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to prevent genocide.

> February 29: One of the deadliest incidents in the war occurs, over 100 Gazans were killed queuing for aid in the presence of Israeli troops who opened fire.

Also read | Gaza ceasefire: Biden and Trump - two presidents, one truce, who gets the credit?

> March 7: Facing political pressure over hunger in Gaza, US President Joe Biden announces work on a floating pier to deliver aid. It was installed in May but lasted only until July with supplies remaining very constricted.

> May 6: Hamas announces that it has accepted the proposal for another ceasefire, but Israel says it has not agreed to that text.

Meanwhile, Israel tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah after its forces take control of a buffer zone along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

> June 23: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in Gaza is coming to an end but that the war will not finish until Hamas no longer controls the enclave. Despite Netanyahu's remark, intense fighting goes on for months.

> June 25: The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says that Gaza remains at high risk of famine.

> July 2: Israel announces new evacuation orders for the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

> July 31: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is killed by Israel in an attack in Tehran.

> August 1: Israeli military says it killed Hamas' military chief Mohammed Deif in July. Hamas neither confirmed nor denied Deif's death.

> August 23: The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms a case of type 2 polio in Gaza after 25 years.

> October 5: Israel launches a major anti-Hamas operation in northern Gaza focussed on the Jabalia refugee camp near Gaza City and Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya towns. The push continues into 2025. 

Also read | Tense meet between Trump aide, Netanyahu did more for Gaza deal than Biden ever did: Report

> October 16: Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

> November 21: International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former defence chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas' Ibrahim Al-Masri.

Year 2025

> January 15: Negotiators reach a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.

> January 16: Israel accuses Hamas of backtracking on parts of the new ceasefire deal. Hamas denies the claim.