The cease-fire has held despite a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages were released.

The centre of Tel Aviv was plunged into collective ecstasy on Saturday as it witnessed the release of the four female Israeli army observers freed today by the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

TEL AVIV/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel approved a ceasefire deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday that involves releasing hostages in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli forces carried out new attacks in the enclave before the agreement's scheduled start on Sunday.