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.

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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with US President Joe Biden about the progress in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal. “The prime minister discussed with the American president the progress in the negotiations to release our hostages and updated him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating team to Doha in order to advance the release of our hostages,