There will be a ceasefire in the bloody conflict in Gaza, Palestine, from 2am Friday morning after Israeli authorities held a meeting this evening, the BBC and Reuters have reported.

The ceasefire would see the ongoing offensive into Gaza, which has shocked many around the world, halted… at least for the time being.

Hamas, the Islamist faction dominant within Palestine and Gaza, confirmed that a “mutual and simultaneous” truce with Israel would happen.

This means the ceasefire will go into effect very shortly, within hours.

Rumours of a ceasefire agreement had been circulating earlier today, though this is the first confirmation that it will be happening.

It comes after Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to his security council as the country attempts to destroy Hamas technology and resources to stop them from any future incursions.

Renewed fighting has been going on in the region since 10th May. Gaza health officials says around 232 Palestinians, including 65 children and 39 women, have been killed so far, with over 1,900 wounded in the fighting.

As far as Israel is concerned, Israeli authorities said it had killed 160 fundamental combatants in Gaza so far.

The fight over land in the region goes back decades, with large swathes of the country divvied up following World War 2, leading to simmering anger and generations of bad blood between the two nations.

Do you think peace will ever be found in the region?