WASHINGTON : US President-elect Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden claimed credit Wednesday for a cease-fire and hostage deal in the Gaza Strip, where more than 46,000 Palestinians were killed by Israel.
Earlier in the day, reports emerged of a deal between Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, citing separate confirmations from US, Israeli and Arab officials.
As the media spotlight intensified, Trump acted swiftly, announcing on social media that a deal had been achieved for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In a follow-up, Trump described the agreement as an “EPIC ceasefire agreement,” attributing it to his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones,” said Trump.
The timing of the deal, days before Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the US, is widely seen as linked to his threat for the hostages’ release before his second term begins Jan. 20.
Just a week earlier, Trump issued a stark warning that if the hostages in Gaza were not released by his inauguration, “all hell will break out in the Middle East.”
“It will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don’t have to say anymore, but that’s what it is,” Trump said in the state of Florida last Tuesday.
Some two hours later, the cease-fire was announced, which will take effect Sunday.
The White House said Biden will hold a news conference where he would say he is “deeply satisfied” that a long-elusive agreement to end Israel’s 15-month war has been reached.
“The Palestinian people have gone through hell. Too many innocent people have died, too many communities have been destroyed. In this deal, the people of Gaza can finally recover and rebuild. They can look to a future without Hamas in power,” he said.
Biden outlined a three-phase deal structure regarding the deal.
In the first phase, there will be a six-week cease-fire, Israeli forces will withdraw from populated areas of Gaza, and certain hostages, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, will be released.
The second phase involves a detainee exchange for the release of remaining hostages, including male soldiers. During this time, all Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza, and the temporary cease-fire will become permanent.
In the final phase, the remains of any deceased hostages will be returned to their families, and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin.
“This is the cease-fire agreement I introduced last spring. Today, Hamas and Israel have agreed to that cease-fire agreement and the whole ending the war,” he said.
During the briefing, when one reporter asked about who gets credit for the deal, “You or Trump?” Biden responded: “Is that a joke?”
The cease-fire comes on day 467 of Israel’s indiscriminate campaign against Gaza, which has killed over 46,700 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas-led cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed in that attack, and about 250 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 11,000 Palestinians have gone missing amid sweeping the destruction caused by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many Palestinians, young and old alike, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
