Both the Biden Administration and Arab leaders are crediting Trump with sealing the Gaza deal.
Deal Reached
Trump pre-empted the official announcement, posting to his social-media service Truth Social: “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
The Wall Street Journal reports Israel, Hamas Agree to Deal to Pause Fighting in Gaza
Negotiators for Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal to pause their fighting in the Gaza Strip, Arab mediators and the U.S. said Wednesday, opening a pathway to end a 15-month war that laid waste to the enclave, sparked a wider regional war and roiled politics in the West.
The cease-fire agreement will come into effect on Sunday, Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said late Wednesday. He said Qatar, alongside Egypt and the U.S.—all of whom helped mediate the agreement—will work to ensure its implementation.
The agreement isn’t much different from the terms that were available months ago when more Israeli hostages remained alive and before thousands more Palestinians lost their lives. But several factors have pushed the parties closer recently.
Hamas has been battered and isolated by Israeli attacks that killed much of its leadership and cowed its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, and major backer Iran. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has solidified his governing coalition, reducing the leverage of right-wing parties who have opposed any deal, and has been emboldened by Israel’s wins on the battlefield.
And both sides have been galvanized by President-elect Donald Trump’s imminent return to office. The incoming president said a week ago that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages aren’t released by the time he is inaugurated on Jan. 20, repeating a threat he had made earlier. He hasn’t explained what he means, but said last week it wouldn’t be good for Hamas or “frankly, for anyone.”
Hamas accepted verbal guarantees from the U.S., Qatar, Egypt and Turkey that Israel would continue negotiations for a permanent cease-fire after the expiration of the deal’s first phase, Arab mediators said.
As part of the proposed agreement, Israeli forces would remain in some parts of Gaza when the fighting stops but would eventually withdraw from the corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt and another that bisects the Gaza Strip. Hamas agreed to put off resolving some differences with Israel to the second phase of the deal, including over the buffer zones Israel wants to maintain along the eastern and northern edges of Gaza, Arab mediators said.
The militant group also agreed that Palestinians released from long jail terms would leave the Palestinian territories and live in exile abroad with their families.
Trump Envoy Swayed Netanyahu
Arab officials say Trump envoy swayed Netanyahu more in one meeting than Biden did all year
A “tense” weekend meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations, with the top aide to US President-elect Donald Trump doing more to sway the premier in a single sit-down than outgoing President Joe Biden did all year, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
Witkoff has been in Doha for the past week to take part in the hostage negotiations, as mediators try to secure a deal before Trump’s January 20 inauguration. On Saturday, Witkoff flew to Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu at the premier’s Jerusalem office.
During the meeting, Witkoff urged Netanyahu to accept key compromises necessary for an agreement, the two Arab officials on Monday told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity. Neither Witkoff nor Netanyahu’s office responded to requests for comment.
While the deal has three stages, the terms of the second phase will not be negotiated until the first phase is underway.
During the 42-day first phase, 33 of the remaining women, children, elderly and severely ill hostages will be released in exchange for roughly 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners. Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza, while helping facilitate the entry of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into the Strip each day.
The second stage will see the release of the remaining living hostages and conclude with a declaration of a permanent ceasefire. The third phase will see the release of bodies still held by Hamas.
Biden’s State Department Credits Trump
“When it comes to the involvement of President-elect Trump’s team, it has been absolutely critical in getting this deal over the line.”
“And we of course, we thank the Trump team for working with this on this ceasefire agreement. We think it’s important that they were at the table.”
Here is a Video Clip on X of the State Department worth watching.
My Musical Tribute
Blowing in the Wind, Bob Dylan, Live on TV 1963
Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows
That too many people have died?The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
Some 47,000 dead later, we still have no idea.
If you haven’t yet seen the movie “A Complete Unknown” about Bob Dylan, please do. It was fantastic.
As of 8 January 2025, over 47,000 people – 45,936 Palestinian and 1,706 Israeli have died since the Gaza outbreak.
Has anyone learned anything?
Addendum
‘What’s going on in Bob Dylan’s head’
Mr. Tambourine Man lyrics up for auction.
Rare drafts of one of Dylan’s best-known songs found in journalist’s archive could fetch up to $1 million as part of wider legacy sale