The following is the transcript of an interview with Brett McGurk, the White House National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that aired on Jan.

Lead U.S. Negotiator on the Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal Brett McGurk tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he formed a “very close partnership, even friendship” with President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff amid the ceasefire and hostage negotiations.

In a rare move hours after the cease-fire took effect, one senior Hamas official said the group wants to engage the new Trump administration.

As the first three Israeli hostages held by Hamas were released to the Red Cross, Brett McGurk, the White House National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, tells "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that the ceasefire deal is a "detailed,

President Joe Biden says the Israel-Hamas hostage and ceasefire talks are on the "brink" of "finally coming to fruition."

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire was brokered through intense negotiations involving Biden and Trump`s envoys, nearly collapsing in the final hours. Learn about the key players and events.

Israeli Ambassador to U.S. Michael Herzog told "FOX News Sunday" that the deal struck with Hamas to exchange hostages in exchange for a ceasefire is the result of "an unprecedented cooperation between the outgoing administration and incoming administration.

A senior administration official provided more details about how the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release agreement finally came together.

President Joe Biden and his top diplomats, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had sought closure during his term.

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

The story of how Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza stretches back over more than a year. The timing and unlikely partners who coalesced to push negotiations across the line help explain why it finally happened.