The U.S.-brokered talks, which have been deadlocked for months, involve Biden administration and Trump transition officials and could also involve the release of hostages.

Blinken, in Paris on Jan. 8, said when a ceasefire deal is ultimately reached in Gaza it will be based on the plan President Joe Biden put forward last May.

Israel has vowed to catch the perpetrators after gunmen killed three people and wounded seven others in an attack on a bus carrying Israelis in the West Bank. It comes as outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he maintains hope that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas could be reached in the near future.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Monday for a final push for a Gaza ceasefire before President Joe Biden leaves office, after a Hamas official told Reuters the group had cleared a list of 34 hostages as first to go free under a truce.