US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken by phone - Biden's final week in office - as momentum builds towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel and Hamas are understood to be making progress but uncertainty remains over key aspects of the potential agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza

U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke Sunday, their two offices said, as the White House pushes to secure a cease-fire deal prior to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.