Gaza hostage deal "possible" to be reached before Trump's inauguration

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A White House spokesperson said on Friday a deal that would secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is "possible" to be reached before Jan. 20, the day when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated to succeed incumbent President Joe Biden.

John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, told reporters during a press gaggle that he was unable to give "a percentage" indicating the precise possibility of such a deal being ultimately struck, hence paving the way for the release of 100 hostages -- among whom seven are Americans.

"The question is, do I think it's possible?" Kirby said. "Yes, we think it's possible, but not without a lot of hard work still ahead of us. "

Biden's Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, is currently leading a U.S. delegation in Doha, Qatar, in what is the administration's last-minute effort to try to get the hostage deal over the finish line, according to Kirby.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, is in the delegation for the negotiations. "I'm really hopeful that by the inaugural, we'll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president," Witkoff said of Trump during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.