WASHINGTON, August 11. /TASS/. Middle East tensions can easily escalate into a regional war, but it is still possible to avert this scenario, US President Joe Biden said in an interview with CBS television.

Asked if he believes a ceasefire is possible in Gaza before he leaves office in January, Biden replied, "Yes. It's still possible. The plan I put together, endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the UN Security Council, et cetera, is still viable. And I'm working literally every single day - and my whole team - to see to it that it doesn't escalate into a regional war. But it easily can."

On May 31, the US president announced the terms of a proposal to reach a settlement in Gaza, which envisages a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for an amnesty for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the idea, and accused Hamas of creating obstacles for the plan to go ahead.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel last October accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking multiple hostages. Israel declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and started a ground operation in the enclave that goes on to this day.