‘A joke’: Donald Trump attempts to take credit for Israel, Hamas ceasefire deal
Israel and Hamas have finally agreed on a ceasefire deal which will see hundreds of hostages released – and Donald Trump is trying to take the credit.
World
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Israel and Hamas have finalised a ceasefire deal which could see the fighting in Gaza cease and scores of hostages released on both sides – and Donald Trump is trying to take the credit.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden announced the deal at a press conference at the White House. At the same time Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani also confirmed the plan in Doha.
“Soon the hostages will return home to their families,” Mr Biden said.
The US President said he had laid out, “the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024,” and the deal was as a result of Hamas’ isolation as well as Iran and Hezbollah’s support for Hamas weakening. But also “dogged and painstaking” pressure from the US”.
“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” Mr Biden said.
“It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin.”
While the deal was brokered between the current US administration and Qatar, as well as Egypt, Israel and Hamas, President-elect Trump was quick to declare it couldn’t have happened without his efforts.
“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“The epic ceasefire agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic victory in November.”
Mr Trump had warned Hamas of “hell to pay” if it did not free the remaining captives before he took office.
The ceasefire will begin on Sunday, the day before his inauguration.
Mr Biden was asked when his press conference finished who should take credit for the deal – him or Mr Trump. “Is that a joke?” he replied.
Envoys from both the incoming Trump administration and President Biden’s outgoing one had been present at the latest round of negotiations.
Asked about the contribution of Mr Trump’s envoys in sealing the agreement, Mr Biden said that it was “the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May, the exact”.
Israeli President urged to ‘accept and approve’ deal
Celebrations have broken out in the Gaza Strip, much of which has been reduced to rubble by Israeli forces after Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1200 Israelis were killed.
The Palestinian militants also took 251 people hostage during the attack, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 that the Israeli military claim are dead.
In retaliation, Israel declared war on Hamas – and by extension, Palestine – which has in turn led to the deaths of 47,000 Gazans, many of them women and children.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had spoken to both President Biden and President-elect Trump.
He thanked Mr Biden for his help in promoting the hostage deal and thanked Mr Trump for promoting the release of hostages, and for helping Israel end the suffering of them and their families.
The leader “make it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US President-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism”, the statement read.
In a separate statement, his office said that Mr Netanyahu would issue an “official” response “only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present”.
Mr Netanyahu had earlier been urged to “accept and approve” it at this “most crucial moment” by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
“I offer my support to the Prime Minister and the negotiation team in their efforts to finalise this deal and call upon the Cabinet and the Government of Israel to accept and approve it when presented – bringing our sons and daughters home,” he said in a statement.
“As the President of the State of Israel, I say in the clearest terms: This is the right move. This is an important move. This is a necessary move. There is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us – whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, previously speaking in Oslo, said the latest push for a Gaza ceasefire showed international pressure on Israel “does pay off”.
He is also yet to release a statement on today’s deal.
The three-part plan
The ceasefire deal is in three parts. Part one will see 33 hostages in Gaza released in exchange for many more Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. It’s not clear how many of those 33 hostages are still alive. That will happen during an initial six-week ceasefire. Palestinians in Gaza will also be able to move home, if they have homes.
Within this initial period, Israel will withdraw some troops and huge amounts of aid should flow into Gaza.
A second part of the deal will see the release of all remaining hostages and further Israeli troop withdrawals.
Finally, the reconstruction of Gaza will take place with a new governing authority.
Pressure to put an end to the fighting had ratcheted up in recent days, as mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US intensified efforts to cement an agreement.
On Wednesday, a source close to the talks said Qatari Prime Minister Al-Thani was “meeting Hamas negotiators in his office for (a) final push” to seal the deal.
A source briefed on the talks later told AFP a “Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal (was) reached following (the) Qatari PM’s meeting with Hamas negotiators and separately Israeli negotiators in his office”.
Sticking points
Among the sticking points in successive rounds of talks have been disagreements over the permanence of any ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the scale of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory.
The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, facing an Israeli ban on its activities set to take effect later this month, said it will continue providing much-needed aid.
Mr Netanyahu, who vowed to crush Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, has opposed any post-war role for the militant group in the territory.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday Israel would ultimately “have to accept reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under the leadership of a reformed” Palestinian Authority, and embrace a “path toward forming an independent Palestinian state”.
He added that the “best incentive” to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace remained the prospect of normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Albo welcomes ‘constructive step towards peace and stability’
World powers and international organisations have for months pushed for a ceasefire, which up until Wednesday had remained elusive.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the deal, describing it as a “constructive step towards peace and stability in the region”.
“We urge all parties to respect its terms and safeguard a lasting peace, including ensuring the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded and sustained increases in humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gaza,” their statement read.
“(This agreement) must mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Israeli and Palestinian people.
“Australia will continue working with the international community towards a two-state solution – a Palestinian state and the State of Israel, living side-by-side in peace and security within internationally recognised borders.”
Originally published as ‘A joke’: Donald Trump attempts to take credit for Israel, Hamas ceasefire deal
Biden’s final warning, savage attack on Musk
Outgoing President Biden used a resentful farewell address on Wednesday night to warn the world.
Read more
‘First time’: Insider proves Trump right
Incoming US President Donald Trump has made a major claim this morning – and one key detail may just prove him right after all.
Read more