White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby told NBC News that the U.S. is “confident” that the issues hindering the confirmation of a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas can be resolved in time for it to begin as scheduled on Sunday.
Speaking on NBC’s Today show, Kirby stated:
“We will get there. We are aware of the issues that Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] raised today, this afternoon, in their time, and we are working to resolve them.”
“Our team on the ground is actually working with him and his team to iron out all these issues, flatten them out, and move it forward.”
U.S. representatives are still believed to be actively involved in talks in Doha over the final details needed to conclude the agreement. Kirby continued:
“This has to be approved by the Israeli government. Netanyahu knows this. He is working through this process, but we are confident that we will be able to resolve these last-minute issues and get it moving, and that this ceasefire can happen starting Sunday.”
When asked about the timing, just days before Donald Trump was set to take office for a second term in Washington, D.C., Kirby said, “There’s plenty of credit to go around,” adding that Trump “certainly helped,” but also noted that another significant factor was that “Hamas is weaker now and more willing to make a deal.”
