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, officials said Tuesday.

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

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

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

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.

In another gaffe, Joe Biden mistakenly refers to Hamas as Hezbollah while announcing Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.

A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, involving a halt of the fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Following the announcement, both US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump claimed credit for the Gaza ceasefire.

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

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

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden bid goodbye to the American people Wednesday ... The Biden administration brokered the deal, along with Qatar and Egypt. Biden started his speech by reflecting for a few minutes on that agreement, which he said had ...

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.

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.