When President Joe Biden’s aides were planning his visit to South America this week for a pair of leaders’ summits, two vastly different scenarios were in play.

Families of Israeli hostages taken captive to Gaza by Islamist group Hamas urged U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday to work on a deal to free those still being held before winter.

President Biden met Wednesday with the families of American hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, as the Biden administration says it stands ready to work with the incoming Trump administration toward the common goal of securing their release.

President Biden asked President-elect Trump during their two-hour meeting on Wednesday to work together in order to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. Why it matters: Biden wants to use the two months he has left in office to break the prolonged deadlock in the negotiations over a Gaza deal.

Joe Biden reportedly asked Donald Trump to work with him to secure a hostage deal in the Middle East when they met at the White House.

Biden raised issue of US hostages held in Gaza during meeting with Trump appeared first on The Times of Israel.

The White House is still pushing for a breakthrough in the stalled hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza negotiations.

Concern is high that the transition of power in Washington will make it impossible to secure a deal over the next three months.