US President Joe Biden said "real progress" had been made in negotiations to release Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip, some of whom are US citizens.

"We're making some real progress, I met with the negotiators today," Biden told reporters at the White House, referring to his meeting with CIA Director William Burns and his Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk.

"I still hope that we can do a prisoner-for-hostage exchange," he added.

Biden reiterated what he said during the long months of war, that Hamas "is the one standing in the way of this exchange right now, but I think we may be able to get it done, we need to get it done."

It is noteworthy that the Biden administration and officials in the US State and Defense Departments have always spoken optimistically about the prospects for a ceasefire, and when the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected it (each time), they placed the blame on Hamas.

The Biden administration has only 11 days left in office, ending at noon on January 20.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages was "very close," hoping to reach it in the time remaining for President Biden's administration.

“I hope we can get it done in the time we have left, but if we don’t, the plan that President [Joe] Biden has put forward for a ceasefire and hostage release will be handed over to the next administration, and I think when we get that deal — and we will get it — it will be based on the plan that President Biden put forward to the world last May,” Blinken said at a press conference with his French counterpart in Paris on Tuesday, stressing that the Biden administration has spent a significant amount of time pushing an initiative to govern Gaza after the war that includes arrangements for the security, governance and reconstruction of the Strip.

"We are prepared to hand that over to the [Trump] administration so they can work on it and take advantage of it when the opportunity arises," he added.

In turn, US President-elect Donald Trump confirmed that he looks forward to releasing the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip before his inauguration scheduled for this month.

In response to a question about the Gaza negotiations, he said at a press conference on Tuesday, "If the hostages are not released by the time of my inauguration, the gates of hell will open wide," repeating his threats against Hamas and the stricken Gaza Strip.

On December 2, Trump issued a stern warning that if the hostages were not released before his inauguration on January 20, there would be a "serious problem" in the Middle East.

In a related matter, Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, said Tuesday he would travel to Qatar to participate in ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Gaza with Biden administration officials.

Chances of a deal appear slim as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he has no intention of ending the genocidal war and Hamas says any deal must lead to a permanent ceasefire, but Witkoff insisted progress was being made.

It is unprecedented for an official from an incoming administration to join the diplomatic work of the current administration.