By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – After 15 long months of bloodshed in Gaza sparked by the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in Israel, a hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel was reached Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
He credited “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy” with negotiating the agreement and claimed some credit for the breakthrough in the 15-month war.
“I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the [United Nations] U.N. Security Council,” Biden added. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
Biden’s comments came not long after President-elect Donald J. Trump, in a social media post, claimed his election victory was what brought about the deal.
“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 Truth Social. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
The implementation of the accord aimed at ending the violence in Gaza, is to start on Sunday, according to Qatari Prime Minister Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
He spoke at a news conference in Doha, the Qatari capital, where intense negotiations have been taking place over the past several weeks.
SCENES OF JOY
There were scenes of joy after the ceasefire announcement, with relatives of nearly 100 people still captive inside Gaza embracing each other. However, Israel’s military cautioned that at least a third of those held are dead.
The three-phased agreement would begin with the release of 33 women, children, older adults, and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Soldiers and other male captives would be released in the second phase.
The agreement would bring relief to the hard-hit Gaza Strip, where Hamas-backed authorities say Israel’s offensive has reduced large areas to rubble and displaced around 90 percent of the population of 2.3 million, many at risk of famine.
More than 46,000 Palestinians were killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Israel says about half of those killed are Hamas fighters.
The ceasefire accord requires ratification by a vote of Israel’s cabinet, but Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve the deal.
UNIFYING FORCE
“I strengthen the hands of the prime minister and the negotiating team in their efforts to bring about a deal and call on the Israeli government to approve it when it is brought before them,” Herzog told the nation in televised remarks.
Herzog’s position is mainly ceremonial but serves as a unifying force and moral compass for the country.
The ceasefire deal follows an intense period of meetings and calls over the past several days, including by Biden to the leaders of Israel and mediating partners Qatar and Egypt, officials said.
Steve Witkoff, U.S. President-elect Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, has also played an instrumental role.
He reportedly met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend to express Trump’s interest in attaining a deal before his inauguration on Monday.
Trump had told Hamas that “all hell will break out” if hostages were not released before his inauguration as America’s 47th president on January 20.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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