After 14 months of talks, Trump’s threats and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, played a major role in helping Biden officials reach the finish line.

The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza with ceasefire talks resuming in Qatar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is tapping the brakes on claims of success by President Biden, President-elect Trump and partners in the Middle East that a ceasefire and hostage release deal has been achieved to pause 15 months of war.

During an initial 42-day ceasefire, Palestinian militant groups will hand over 33 hostages, three of them on Sunday, and Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom will be deported.

Israel's cabinet voted to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal on Saturday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ending days of uncertainty about whether the truce would go into effect this weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with US President Joe Biden about the progress in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken is “confident” the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal will be implemented on Sunday, he told reporters Thursday morning. His comments came hours after the deal’s progress was cast into doubt following a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that Hamas had reneged on parts of the agreement.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Sunday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, a sign of the intensifying push to reach a deal before Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.

16 (UPI) --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office delayed ... working with President Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk to push the negotiations forward and ensure continuity ...

Steve Witkoff's meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday came after he held a meeting with Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says ceasefire ... officials say WASHINGTON — White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk had briefed Biden administration officials on ...

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President ... and Biden’s top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in the Qatari capital Doha.