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.
"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.
For over a year, Hamas has expressed its readiness to finalize a deal and even agreed in May 2024 to a proposal by US President Joe Biden. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew from the agreement, introducing new conditions, including the continuation of military operations in Gaza and refusing to withdraw troops, while Hamas insists on a full cessation of hostilities and an Israeli military withdrawal.
Critics, including Israeli opposition parties and the families of captives, have accused Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement to protect his political position.
Hard-line ministers in Netanyahu's coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to leave the government and topple it if a cease-fire is accepted.
Kirby, however, continued to fault Hamas for the failure to reach an agreement, accusing it of erecting "obstacles" in the talks that "are making it difficult" to finalize the pact.
Israel holds over 10,300 Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas is said to be holding around 100 Israeli captives in Gaza. The group also said that dozens of captives had died in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.
Over 46,000 people have been killed since Israel began its onslaught against Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack on Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 250 were taken back to the coastal enclave as hostages.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his 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 war on the enclave.
