Israelis, Palestinians celebrate ceasefire, look for return of hostages
The father of an Israeli soldier celebrated the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Palestinians to end the war and free the hostages.
A long awaited ceasefire. Two US presidents – one with one foot out the White House door, the other with one foot in. One is trying to secure the release of the hostages before leaving the post. The second warning would be “Hell” to pay if they remain in prison.
Both are contenders for credit. But there is certainly no hard evidence to prove what sealed the deal.
What really dragged Israel and Hamas over the finish line for the Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal that has cheered hopes of ending — finally — the Middle East’s brutal war? Was it threats and obfuscation, or patient diplomacy?
According to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations, it was President Donald Trump’s insistence that Israel and Hamas agreed to the war until he took office on January 20, and “if the hostages are not released, all hell will break loose.” will break,” that was the deciding factor.
Others argue that it greatly exaggerates Trump’s character.
Both Trump and former President Joe Biden have publicly tried to take credit for pushing to get the deal done. The first repeated attempts to conclude a contract ended in failure.
Still, a person familiar with the matter, who is not a U.S. official, said Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, was able to get Qatar and Egypt — the other Truce mediators — to accept the terms of Hamas. They won’t do it to convince. At first, the person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of diplomatic discussions. Biden’s envoy, Brett McGurk, officially led the U.S. mediation effort.
The person familiar with the matter is someone who has observed Israel-Haman’s cease-fire and hostage negotiations over the past 15 months, including an earlier agreement in November 2023. Ultimately, both were U.S. ambassadors—Witkoff and McGurk—the person said. Instrumental in securing contracts. This was a joint effort between the outgoing and incoming US administrations, the person said.
Witkoff is a real estate executive with no diplomatic experience. He worked closely with McGurk on the Brexit deal and in the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration.
However, the person said it was Trump’s effectiveness that finally convinced Hamas to sign the deal when it did. This person said that when Biden was presidentfor , for , for , for , . Hamas considered what it described as daylight between the US and Israel on the terms of the deal and would use that “daylight” to routinely extract additional concessions from mediators. The execution of the contract was delayed.
Some political commentators, the Israeli media and opposition politicians in Israel have suggested that for the majority of the 15-month Israel-Huma war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Delay in doing DEAl Because he feared a political coup by right-wing elements in his coalition government, on which he relies for support.
Netanyahu has disputed this.
In his first term, Trump had a close relationship with Netanyahu. Trump ignored the expansion of Israeli settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the holy city that the Palestinians claim as part of their future capital. By contrast, Netanyahu and Biden have had a long and complicated relationship that hit low points, such as when the former US president threatened to withhold weapons from Israel if it attacked the southern Gaza city of Rafah. was threatened.
A representative for Hamas was not immediately available for comment. A separate Middle East diplomat involved in the negotiations said there was no question that Trump’s inaugural deadline to finalize the deal was what was said to be a catalyst for its conclusion. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity.
A sudden willingness to negotiate by Hamas
A former Biden administration official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the difference in reaching the deal was Hamas’s sudden willingness to negotiate. A Biden administration official said Hamas was not interested in a deal from August to December of last year. However, a Biden administration official attributed the change in Hamas readiness not to Trump but to changing regional dynamics, including a weakened Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria and its ally Iran. Iran’s backing and arms to Hamas as well.
The U.S. official said no specific threats were made by either U.S. envoy to end the deal in time for Trump’s inauguration, a point supported by Middle East diplomats.
Is it too easy for Trump to take credit for the ceasefire agreement?
Another former senior US official said the deal was too easy to pitch to Trump. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, said the agreement was reached mainly because of pressure that Hamas was under and that in any case I, Trump’s momentum was going in the right direction before “all hell broke loose.” The official said Trump and his team have been helpful in recent days, sending a strong signal of support. The official said the Israelis were also encouraged to give Trump credit It is being done that now they are in power.
“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be widely implemented by the incoming administration,” Biden said in his farewell address from the Oval Office. “That’s why I asked my team to Keep the incoming administration fully informed.” When the deal was first announced, Trump was quick to claim, in a social media post, a measure of progress after months of stalled negotiations. He repeatedly warned that there would be “hell to pay” if a deal was not reached.
“This epic cease-fire agreement could only come as a result of our historic victory in November, because it signaled to the world that my administration is committed to peace and deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies,” he wrote. Will talk.” Social on truth. “I am very excited for the American and Israeli hostages to return home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Families Hostage at Trump Inauguration
Some families of Israeli hostages, and at least one former hostage, stood with Trump on stage at one of his inaugural events. They were covered in yellow scarves, a symbol of support that was also used during the Iran hostage crisis when more than 50 Americans were held at the US embassy in Tehran.
In separate statements, the families of the hostages have thanked both the Biden and Trump administrations.
No Arghamani, Shoshan Haran – a former Hamas kidnapper – and six Americans and four Israeli hostages representing six Americans and four Israeli hostages and four Israeli hostages. “The president’s steadfastness to our cause is clear to us,” one of the delegates said. Trump at inauguration events.
Israel and Hamas have begun a three-phase ceasefire. Three Israeli hostages And about 90 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel were released on Jan. 19 as part of the initial phase, which has lasted for weeks. Four more hostages will be freed later this week. Hamas still holds 94 hostages in Gaza, three of which were captured before October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 more Gazans. What did Three American hostages are still alive. About 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to Hamas-run health officials.
When Biden announced the cease-fire on Jan. 15, he said the final agreement largely mirrored the framework he proposed in May. When Trump’s team joined the talks, Hamas realized it was in its “best interest” to reach a deal as soon as possible, the person familiar with the matter said.
Hamas agreed to increase the number of hostages “outright” in the first phase of the deal, a person familiar with the matter said. Israel will retain control of the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, a narrow strip of territory that separates Gaza’s border from Egypt, including the Rafah crossing, Hamas said, the person said. These were concessions Hamas had previously refused to agree to.
As an example of the close relationship between Israel and the Trump administration, the person familiar with the matter said, when Trump’s envoy, Witkov, first arrived in Jerusalem to meet with Netanyahu, he was respected, both men. “had a heated conversation,” and it was “very clear” that Witkov admired Israel’s leader and that the Trump administration would not agree to anything on Israel that would harm its war aims.
Contribution: Tom Vandenbroek and Francesca Chambers.
