What changed since the Gaza ceasefire deal was rejected months ago? Trump, some officials say
TEL AVIV — For eight months, the framework of the ceasefire deal that could bring an end to the war between Israel and Hamas had been on the table, prompting fury about the delay among some, and now praise for President-elect Donald Trump for helping to get it over the line.
TEL AVIV — For eight months, the framework of the ceasefire deal that could bring an end to the war between Israel and Hamas had been on the table, prompting fury about the delay among some, and now praise for President-elect Donald Trump for helping to get it over the line.
President Joe Biden confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the deal was based on the “precise contours” of a May 2024 ceasefire plan that was “endorsed unanimously” by the United Nations Security Council. He also credited the work of key negotiators, including Egypt and Qatar, and “extreme pressure” on Hamas for helping to secure the truce.
While U.S. officials have credited the collaboration between Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Biden’s Middle East representative Brett McGurk for securing the deal, the president-elect sought to claim much of the credit for himself on Thursday.
Biden “didn’t do anything,” he said in an interview on “The Dan Bongino Show.” “If I didn’t do this, if we didn’t get involved, the hostages would never be out.”
The deal could soon bring an end to more than 15 months of war in Gaza that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas attacks on Israel in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,500 people since then, according to health officials in the enclave.
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