Negotiators were close to reaching the final details of a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday after marathon talks in Qatar, with the U.S. and Egyptian leaders promising to stay in close contact about a deal over the coming hours.

The Biden administration is putting pressure on a deal before the inauguration, which will see President-elect Donald Trump return to the White House.

(Reuters) -Mediator Qatar has handed Israel and Hamas a "final" draft of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement designed to end the war in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Monday.

The deal, mediated by the United States, offered a glimmer of hope in a conflict that has taken an immense human toll.

A Gaza truce and hostage release deal is close and could be finalised in the final week of US President Joe Biden's term, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said.

Lawmakers raised concerns about the Florida attorney general’s previous work for the president-elect and support for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election — as well as lobbying services she provided for the government of Qatar.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was briefed about the progress made in the Israel-Hamas mediation talks by Qatar which has been brokering the deal alongside Egypt and the United States

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden says, "My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done," following the news

Chances of the ceasefire deal unravelling after the hostage-for-prisoner exchange is completed are high. What happens after that is uncertain. Who controls Gaza? Is there a chance for permanent peace?

On the campaign trail, Trump pledged mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the United States and said at the rally that would be one focus of the blizzard of presidential paperwork.