Peace deal goes down to the wire

ISRAEL finally agreed on a ceasefire with Hamas last night, which will lead to the release of Israel hostages and mark a pause in the brutal 15-month conflict.

- Marco Giannangeli

But there were some "last-minute jitters" after PM Benjamin Netanyahu complained Israel had not received a list of the names of the first three hostages Hamas intended to release.

Israeli officials later said they were confident the matter would be resolved before this morning's deadline.

The deal, arriving a day before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President, followed an unusual decision by the Israeli cabinet to work through the Sabbath.

Tense talks were held in the Qatari capital Doha last week, and Thursday brought a near-derailment of the deal when Tel Aviv accused Hamas of backtracking.

But by yesterday some Israeli troops were celebrating as they pulled out of Gaza, ahead of the agreement coming into force.

The first stage of the deal, due to last six weeks, starts at 6.30am this morning and demands "a full and complete ceasefire".