(NewsNation) — President-elect Donald Trump celebrated the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal on Wednesday and said it wouldn’t have happened if not for his win in the 2024 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,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Israel-Hamas hostage deal
The deal, which will see 33 Israeli hostages freed and pause the war, comes after more than 15 months of fighting.
Israel, Hamas reach three-phase ceasefire deal
In his post, Trump said his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue “to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
Witkoff had joined Biden’s Mideast adviser Brett McGurk for the recent round of talks in Doha, the Qatari capital. A senior U.S. official described McGurk and Witkoff’s coordination as a fruitful partnership, according to The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, outgoing President Joe Biden emphasized his role in getting the deal done, telling reporters: “This is the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May.”
When asked how much he credits the Trump team, Biden said: “I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we’re all speaking with the same voice because that’s what American presidents do.”
Israel-Hamas ceasefire comes days before Trump’s inauguration
The ceasefire comes just days before Trump is set to begin his second term.
Last week, Trump warned all hell would break loose if Hamas didn’t release the Israeli hostages before his inauguration, though it’s unclear how much that threat tipped the scale.
What happens to Israeli hostages now?
One diplomat who was briefed on the negotiations did credit progress in the talks, in part, to Trump’s influence, saying it was “the first time there has been real pressure on the Israeli side to accept a deal,” according to the Washington Post.
The New York Times said Trump’s election win and his team’s work were, according to multiple people, a factor in the deal getting done.
Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told the AP the deal shows how powerful foreign policy can be when it’s bipartisan.
“Both the outgoing and incoming administration deserve credit for this deal and it would’ve been far less likely to happen without both pushing for it,” he said.
Biden cheered the agreement in remarks Wednesday, chalking it up to “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy.”
“This is the ceasefire agreement I introduced last spring,” Biden said. “I’ve worked in foreign policy for decades, this is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve ever experienced.”
The outgoing president praised an “extraordinary team” of American diplomats and said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken led the effort while acknowledging collaboration with the incoming Trump administration.
“This deal was developed and negotiated under my administration but its terms will be implemented, for the most part, by the next administration,” Biden said. “These past few days we’ve been speaking as one team.”
Trump vowed to promote “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH” throughout the Middle East, writing on social media: “This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!”
