An Israeli security delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday for talks on a ceasefire and hostage release in the Gaza Strip.

Reuters news agency and other media outlets report the delegation dispatched by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu includes the head of the Mossad intelligence agency.

As the death toll from the fighting between Israel and Hamas topped 46,000 in Gaza, talks are underway in Qatar, a mediating country.

A senior official of US President Joe Biden's administration, and US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, are also reportedly in Qatar.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on a CNN program that "we are very, very close" to a deal.

But he added that "being very close still means we're far, because until you actually get across the finish line, we're not there."

Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke with Biden on Sunday. They discussed the progress in the negotiations.

Trump has said there will be "hell to pay" if Hamas does not release the hostages before he is inaugurated on January 20.