President-elect Donald Trump has stated that his involvement was instrumental in securing the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas. Speaking on The Dan Bongino Show on Thursday, Trump claimed that the pressure from his incoming administration led to the breakthrough, including the release of hostages and a potential halt to the ongoing conflict.
Trump emphasized that without the intervention of his team, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the deal would not have been reached. “If we weren’t involved in this deal, the deal would’ve never happened. We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast,” Trump remarked, adding that the deal should be finalized before his inauguration.
The agreement would see the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, pending approval by Israel’s security cabinet. The long-term goal is to negotiate a permanent end to the war between the two sides.
Trump took aim at outgoing President Joe Biden, accusing him of unfairly claiming credit for the agreement. “He didn’t do anything. If I didn’t do this, if we didn’t get involved, the hostages would never be out,” Trump stated. This marks a sharp contrast to Biden’s previous proposal last May, which contained similar terms to the one reached this week.
The proposed ceasefire would initially last 42 days, with the release of 33 hostages and Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza’s population centers. A second phase could lead to a permanent resolution of the conflict, according to Biden’s administration.
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