Negotiators are near to hammering out the final details of a ceasefire in Gaza today after marathon talks in Qatar, and the UAE and Egyptian leaders promised to stay in close contact about a deal over the coming hours, Reuters reports.

More than eight hours of talks in Doha had fuelled optimism. Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US as well as Israel and Hamas said an agreement for a truce in the besieged enclave and release of hostages was closer than ever.

Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi talked about progress in the negotiations yesterday. “Both leaders committed to remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming hours,” the White House said in a statement after the leaders’ telephone call.

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari earlier told a news conference that both sides were presented with a text and talks on the last details were under way.

But a senior Hamas official told Reuters later yesterday that the Palestinian group had not delivered its response yet because it was still waiting for Israel to submit maps showing how its forces would withdraw from Gaza.