US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reported that there is progress in reaching a prisoner exchange deal in the Gaza Strip, indicating that it is close to being achieved.

Sullivan added in statements to Channel 13 that the priority is to return the Israeli detainees and reach a ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that he cannot confirm whether this will happen or not in the next few weeks, but he confirmed his determination to achieve this.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Ankara on Friday that he saw "encouraging signs" of progress toward a ceasefire in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, while Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said there was a real chance of a deal to release detainees in Gaza.

President-elect Donald Trump's call for a Gaza deal was a major driver of the recent concessions, a senior Biden administration official told NBC. "We have confidence that we haven't had since May that a ceasefire in Gaza can be reached," the official said.