White House says Gaza cease-fire possible before Trump’s inauguration

The White House struck a guarded note of optimism Friday, saying a deal to end hostilities in Gaza and release hostages held there is "possible" before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in just 10 days,News.az reports citing foreign media.

"We think it's possible, but not without a lot of hard work still ahead of us. Like I said, Brett is still in Doha. He's still working this very, very hard," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, referring to US President Joe Biden's Middle East pointman, Brett McGurk.

"This is a keen focus for him and the entire national security team. It is something we very, very much want to get completed, not just because ... you want to get it done before you leave office, but because it needs to be done, because these individuals have been held hostage now for way, way too long, and every single day is a day of uncertainty, is a day of grief,” he added.

“And so just based on that alone, the president has a very, very strong sense of urgency to get this done, and we believe it is possible, but it won't be possible without, again, additional compromise and some hard work," he said.

McGurk is currently in the Qatari capital for ongoing negotiations over the agreement.

Last Friday, an Israeli delegation returned to Doha to resume indirect negotiations with the Palestinian group Hamas mediated by Qatar and Egypt with the aim of finalizing a prisoner exchange and securing a cease-fire.

News.Az