The negotiations that led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement took months and months. At the center of the talks representing the United States was Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

Inside a lavish clubhouse on Doha's waterfront, tensions strained by months of fruitless back-and-forth weighed on negotiators as the hour neared 3 a.m.

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.

Rarely have representatives of current and new presidents of different parties worked together at such a high-stakes moment. But the president and the president-elect didn’t quite share credit.

The deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages being held in Gaza and begin a ceasefire was officially signed by negotiators in Doha on Thursday, according to two sources familiar with the issue.

Biden officials involved in the effort acknowledged that President-elect Donald Trump’s threats and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff’s participation during the final week of negotiations played a major role in bringing across the finish line a deal they had struggled to reach for more than a year.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's adviser Ophir Falk as well as White House Middle East envoy Brett McGurk and the upcoming Donald Trump administrations Middle East envoy pick Steve Witkoff w

(Gil Cohen-Magen/AP File) Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the global coalition against ... al-Thani speaks at a joint press conference with the U.S. secretary of state in Doha, Qatar, June 12, 2024. (Ibraheem Al Omari/AP File) Khalil al-Hayya, a high ...

DOHA/CAIRO -Negotiators will meet in Doha on ... Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy; Mr Brett McGurk, Mr Biden’s outgoing Middle East envoy; and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed ...

DOHA, Jan 13 — Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft ... A US source said the outgoing Biden administration’s envoy Brett McGurk was also there. “The next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching the deal,” the official said, characterising ...

BRETT MCGURK, White House Coordinator For the Middle ... And I spent most of the last six weeks, first in Cairo, then in Doha, kind of nailing this down. And it was at the end of December, Amna.

DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Negotiators are expected to meet in Qatar on Tuesday to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden indicated a ceasefire and hostage release deal was imminent.