Unrwa's Gaza director says rebuilding homes, infrastructure and people's lives will "take an awful lot of time".

As the Gaza ceasefire takes hold, aid workers caution that the toughest challenges are yet to come, describing the truce as only the first step on a long road to recovery.

Fighting in the Gaza Strip halted on Sunday (January 19) as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas took effect after a brief delay, pausing a 15-month-old war that has brought devastation and seismic political change to the Middle East.

More than 630 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council, with at least 300 of those trucks going to the enclave's north,

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday after a long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect, the United Nations said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the start of the ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. In a social media post, Antonio Guterres said UN stands ready to scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer.