The White House said it plans to reach a deal on the Gaza conflict by Jan. 20

The administration of US President Joe Biden is going to reach an agreement on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before the inauguration of the elected leader of the country Donald Trump. Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on January 14.

"We're still working on some remaining gaps, but we believe we're getting closer. We're very hopeful that we can accomplish that before we leave office," he said at a briefing at the U.S. State Department .

According to Kirby, in case it is possible to conclude an agreement this week, the team of the American president-elect Donald Trump will be responsible for its implementation. The coordinator explained that this is due to the fact that the parties will fulfill their commitments to release hostages and withdraw Israeli troops from parts of the Gaza Strip for several weeks.

In addition, Kirby said that the United States will maintain a small military presence in Syria to prevent the revival of IS ("Islamic State", a terrorist group banned in Russia) after the change of power.

"We have a small military contingent in Syria, and its sole purpose is to continue the fight against IS. There is no doubt that IS is trying to take advantage of the uncertainty in Syria," the coordinator emphasized.

Earlier in the day, the Associated Press reported on the agreement of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas with the terms of the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. It is noted that Israel is still clarifying the final details of the agreement, and the final approval of the deal on the Israeli side will have to be given by the Cabinet.

Prior to this, January 13, US President Joe Biden discussed the prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden pointed out that circumstances in the Middle East have changed significantly after the truce agreements in Lebanon and the loss of power of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Axios portal also reported that US President-elect Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East Steve Whitkoff met with Netanyahu on January 11 and conveyed to him that Trump wants to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza in time for his inauguration scheduled for January 20.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.