JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday, a day ahead of the agreement's scheduled start.

"We announce that we will suspend our military operations against [Israel]," the Nujaba Movement's leader said.

The Israeli security cabinet approved a ceasefire deal on Friday, paving the way for the return of the first hostages from Gaza as early as Sunday and bringing a halt to 15 months of conflict that have devastated the Palestinian coastal strip.

It is the Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias (Popular Mobilization Forces, PMF or PMU) that may be the most difficult Iranian proxy to degrade.

A senior Israeli official says the government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of an Israeli-Russian researcher who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago.

Decrying the US presence in Iraq as "illegal," the Islamic Republic's leader claimed it threatened the country's democracy.

When asked how much credit Trump's team should get for this deal, given Trump has already claimed credit, Biden said "This is the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May. Exact. And, we got the world to endorse it.

The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the US.

Load Map What is the travel distance between Jerusalem, Israel and Baghdad, Iraq? How many miles is it from Baghdad to Jerusalem. 544 miles / 875.48 km is the flight distance between these two places. Use the Distance calculator given below to find ...

JERUSALEM (AP) — A senior Israeli official ... Israeli-Russian researcher who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago. JERUSALEM (AP) — A senior Israeli official ...

The push comes with a backdrop of seismic shifts in the Middle East that have seen Iran's armed allies in Gaza and Lebanon heavily degraded and Syria's government overthrown by rebels.

A ceasefire agreement in Gaza has been reached between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of war. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have mediated the long-running efforts