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.

The negotiations that led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement took months and months. At the center of the talks representing the United States was Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

On January 11, Witkoff flew to Israel, securing a meeting with Netanyahu. McGurk called in from Doha. Netanyahu agreed to send the heads of Israeli intelligence and internal security back to Doha for negotiations, which mostly took place in the Qatari prime minister’s private office.

By The Associated Press A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took effect on Sunday as Hamas released the first three female hostages it held for 15 months of the devastating war with Israel. The