Qatar says Trump wants Gaza truce before he takes office on Jan 20

US President-elect Donald Trump wants ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza before his upcoming inauguration on January 20, Qatar's Prime Minister has said.

In an interview with Sky News, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani confirmed that Trump had clearly stated his intention to see Israel's genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave resolved before his swearing-in. "Yes, he made that clear," the PM said.

"We had heard this from his team, at least, as I recall the conversations that I had engaged with them, that they want this to be resolved now — today even," he said.

As a central figure in the negotiations, the Qatari Prime Minister said he prefers not to share many details in order to "protect this process as much as possible."

"We are trying our best. We've been doing our utmost," he said.

"All of us, we agree, and we are hoping to get over the situation before the President (Trump) comes to the office, because we have priorities to stabilise the situation. We have priorities in order to restore regional security," he added.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance group have failed over Israeli's PM Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt the war in which his troops have killed some 45,000 Palestinians, wounded 105,000 others and uprooted almost all 2.4 million people.

Analysts say the death toll reported by Palestinian authorities in Gaza and considered reliable by the United Nations, is a cautious estimate and the actual death toll could be around 200,000.

Israel has also abducted some 10,000 Palestinians, many of them since October last year, who are languishing in Israeli jails and torture sites.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

On November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

During his first term as president, before he was succeeded by current President Joe Biden, Trump took steps such as moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, angering Palestinians, who see occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of independent Palestine.