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

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttled between the Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha on Tuesday, where officials said a deal to halt the war is near.