As per a report citing an official: In a big push towards the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediator Qatar has handed a final draft of the deal to both the parties.

Following talks between Israels negotiating team, US President-elect Donald Trumps Middle East envoy and Qatars prime minister a breakthrough was finally reached in Doha after midnight.

However, an Israeli official said that they haven’t received a draft proposal of the deal to end the war inGaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday (January 13) said that progress has been made in ongoing negotiations to reach a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas but did not disclose a timeline for the same.

Progress was made; we see some progress in the negotiations, Saar said. Israel wants a hostage deal. Israel is working with our American friends in order to achieve a hostage deal, and soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing, he added.

Responding to a question about the timeline for a potential deal, Saar said, There is progress, I said it looks much better than previously but I dont want to say more than that, because I realize there are families that are sensitive to every word and every sentence.

Saar said that Israel is working with both Biden administration and incoming Trump administration and added that he hoped that “within a short time we will see things happening, but it is still to be proved.

This comes a day after, outgoing US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing talks for a ceasefire in Gaza.

During the call, Biden stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal, the White House said. (As noted, the information is with inputs from agencies).