A Gaza ceasefire agreement has been reached, Qatar has confirmed - as President Joe Biden announced the imminent release of US and Israeli hostages.

The two were exchanged for a man arrested in eastern Afghanistan two decades ago who has been serving a life sentence in a California prison.

In these final actions of his presidency, Biden is asserting his domestic and foreign-policy principles before Trump takes charge.

Qatar's ruler met on Monday with the Middle East envoys for the incoming and outgoing US administrations, his office said in a statement.

Negotiators are meeting in Doha on Tuesday seeking to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza after US President Joe Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire deal 'has been reached' between Israel and Hamas.

The ceasefire deal marks a major win for President Joe Biden in his final days in office, but President-elect Donald Trump is also seeking credit.

A peace deal would put an end to more than a year of fighting, during which tens of thousands of people have been killed

A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges

Qatar’s success in helping to broker the long-awaited Gaza ceasefire has enhanced its reputation as an international mediator, with officials now considering which other conflicts they could help resolve.

Joe Biden had previously issued his unprecedented ... James Biden in 2018 apparently made a pitch to Qatar to invest $30 million into a troubled rural hospital provider and directly mentioned ...

US PRESIDENT Joe Biden says Israel is “on the brink” of securing a successful ceasefire deal with terror group Hamas. Officials believes they are the closest they have ever been to