An Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday after 11 days of deadly fighting that pounded the Gaza Strip and forced countless Israelis to seek shelter from rockets.
In the countdown to the 2 a.m. (2300 GMT Thursday) ceasefire, Palestinian rocket salvoes continued and Israel carried out at least one airstrike.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the security cabinet had "unanimously accepted the recommendation of all of the security officials ... to accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual ceasefire without pre-conditions."
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza also confirmed the ceasefire in statements.
"This is the euphoria of victory," said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas figure, in front of a crowd of thousands of Palestinians who had gathered in the streets to celebrate.
The violence erupted on May 10, triggered by Palestinians' anger at what they saw as Israeli curbs on their rights in Jerusalem, including during police confrontations with protesters at Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan.
Gaza health officials said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, had been killed and more than 1,900 wounded in aerial bombardments. Israel said it had killed at least 160 combatants.
Authorities put the death toll in Israel at 12, with hundreds of people treated for injuries in rocket attacks that caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.
