The U.S.-brokered talks, which have been deadlocked for months, involve Biden administration and Trump transition officials and could also involve the release of hostages.

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My being the oldest president, I know more world leaders than any one of you ever met in your whole goddamn life,’ president tells reporters

In public, Trump has decried the state of the nation as "a disaster" and "a mess." But at their private meeting, Trump praised him, Biden said. "He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done. And he talked about − he thought I was leaving with a good record."

Hamas has named 34 hostages, some of them believed to have died in captivity, who it says it would return to Israel in the first phase of an evolving if still elusive ceasefire in Gaza. The Palestinian militant group circulated the list to media outlets after Israel sent envoys to Qatar for fresh talks for a pause in the devastating war.

Mr Blinken said he hopes to bring the deal to the finish line in the next two weeks. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Now he tells us. In an interview published Saturday in the New York Times, Secretary of State Antony Blinken named the key impediment to a Gaza hostage deal: “Whenever there has been public daylight between the United States and Israel,

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pushing for ceasefire by Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza war before President Joe Biden leaves office.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced confidence Monday that a ceasefire deal in Gaza would come together, but possibly after President Joe Biden leaves office on January 20.

Both Israel and Hamas are under pressure from outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to reach a deal before the Jan. 20 inauguration.

At a White House event on January 5, President Biden addressed Trump’s threat to democracy, while also defending his experience against questions about his age, snapping at reporters by highlighting his extensive interactions with world leaders.