White House statement on Gaza: Ceasefire must continue

White House Spokesperson Leavitt made statements on the agenda at the press briefing and also evaluated the situation regarding the ceasefire in Gaza.

Leavitt responded to a question by saying that the Trump administration was sufficiently engaged in the process and that Trump's Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was particularly interested in the ceasefire process.

"We know that the deadline for the first phase of the ceasefire (in Gaza) is approaching. That's why Steve Witkoff, as I mentioned earlier, Trump himself and his team are very interested in this issue. We want to see the ceasefire continue. The president has also made it clear that he wants to see all prisoners in Gaza return home," the US spokesman said.

More than 61,000 Palestinians have died, including 14,000 who disappeared under the rubble, and 2 million people have been displaced during Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which have continued for more than 15 months.

Qatar, one of the mediator countries, announced on January 15 that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner swap in Gaza.

The agreement, which came into effect on Sunday, January 19, consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days. The first phase of the agreement expires on March 1.