The United States says it believes a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached as early as this week as Israeli forces continue to inflict a deadly onslaught in the Gaza enclave.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Bloomberg News on Monday that while a deal was possible within days, it was not guaranteed.

“We’ve been close before, but haven’t crossed the finish line yet,” Sullivan said.

“Can we get a final agreement and then start implementing it in the next few days? It’s there for people to take. So the question now is, can we seize the moment together and make this happen?”

Ceasefire talks brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt are in an advanced stage in Doha, where senior Israeli negotiators including the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies are expected to spend a day.

Hamas also said talks had made some progress on some contentious issues that have been discussed repeatedly over the course of 15 months during a war that has killed more than 46,500 Palestinians in Gaza.

“There has been progress in negotiations on some core issues and we are working to complete the remaining negotiations as quickly as possible,” an official from the Palestinian organization told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Officials said a final draft of the deal, which would include exchanging Gaza captives for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, had been presented to the parties after the latest discussions in the Qatari capital came to fruition.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Sunday to discuss the latest developments, with Biden again saying it was time to reach a deal.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his top officials have repeatedly threatened a “heavy price” if the prisoners are not released or a deal is not reached By the time Trump takes office January 20th.

“It’s clear that President Trump threatened Hamas and made it clear there would be a heavy price to pay, which is part of the reason we’re making progress in freeing the hostages,” Vice President-elect Vance said.

Netanyahu also faces internal pressure from far-right members of his ruling coalition, who have been threatening to leave if a deal is reached – although Netanyahu has stressed that Israel will remain in place no matter what deal is reached Military control of Gaza.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads one of the hardline ultra-nationalist religious parties in the country’s ruling coalition, said the fact that Qatar was reaching a deal was a “catastrophe for national security.”

Angry family members of Israelis imprisoned in Gaza entered a Knesset committee room on Monday, accusing Smotrich of abandoning their loved ones and saying “conditions are ripe for an agreement.”

Israel steps up attacks during talks

The Israeli military has been launching relentlessly heavy airstrikes and artillery strikes in the Gaza Strip as talks over a potential deal heat up.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera on Monday that at least 45 Palestinians have been killed in the past day as a result of Israeli attacks on the enclave.

Many of the attacks have been concentrated in Gaza City, in northern Gaza, where more than 100 days of Israeli siege According to local authorities, at least 5,000 people have been killed or missing.

The siege also destroyed hospitals and other critical infrastructure, displaced thousands of people, and many Palestinians were captured by Israeli forces.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Monday that there have been a number of drone strikes since the early morning hours.

“These are happening in areas where the vast majority of displaced people have taken refuge, and these are densely populated areas,” he said.

The Israeli military said five soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in fighting in northern Gaza on Monday.

These deaths bring the Israeli army’s losses in the Gaza war to 408 since October 27, 2023.

Former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, who sponsored the Oslo peace accords in the early 1990s, told Al Jazeera that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was “long overdue.”

“That’s the main question: How many people (captives and prisoners) will be released? Once they agree on the (timing) of the release, it will be possible to reach an agreement,” he said.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with Israeli forces continuing to block most aid from entering, leaving Gaza’s residents, about half of whom are children, starving.