Biden NatSec Advisor Says WH ‘Very Very Close’ to Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal — But Then Adds ‘We’re Far’ and Can’t Predict

Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration is “very close” to reaching a deal for Gaza hostages but then immediately backtracked his comments.

During the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel, the militant group captured  251 people from Israel and took them to the Gaza strip, including women, children, and elderly.

Ina Sunday interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, the host asked Sullivan about close Biden is to securing the deal before he leaves office in the coming days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

TAPPER: Let’s talk about some unfinished business between Israel and Hamas. How close is anyone to a hostage deal?

SULLIVAN: Well, I can answer that question in two ways. We are very, very close. And yet being very close still means we’re far, because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there. We have right now President Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, in Doha.

He has been there for a full week, hammering out with the mediators the final details of a text to be presented to both sides. And we are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done. Can we get it done before the 20th? It is possible, but I certainly can’t make any predictions that we will.

I will say President Biden is getting daily updates on this. He is likely in the near term to engage with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And we are not by any stretch of the imagination setting this aside. There is a possibility this comes together.

There’s also a possibility, as has happened so many times before, that Hamas in particular remains intransigent. October 7th was obvious.

Watch the clip above via CNN.