Envoys from the Republican and the US president, as well as diplomats from Egypt and Qatar, mediated the peace agreement in the Gaza Strip
Hamas credited the election of Donald Trump (Republican Party) and the actions of its special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. The negotiation also included the participation of representatives from Joe Biden’s government (Democratic Party) and diplomats from Egypt and Qatar.
“The agreement was only possible due to pressure from the new Trump administration, especially through its envoy, who was here in recent days”said Bassem Naim, leader of Hamas, in an interview with the newspaper al-Arabiya this Friday (January 17, 2025). Naim criticized the Biden administration, accusing it of delaying negotiations because of its “unrestricted support for Israel”.
The ceasefire, announced on Wednesday (Jan 15), was approved this Friday (Jan 17) by the Israeli Security Cabinet and should come into force on Sunday (Jan 19), with the release of the 1st wave of hostages in the custody of the extremist group. It is expected that at least 3 hostages will be released.
Trump and Biden disputed credit for the ceasefire. Trump declared on his social network that the pact was only possible thanks to his victory in November, while Biden spoke of months of diplomatic work by his team. Representatives of both leaders participated in the negotiations.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud, right), thanked Trump in a conversation on Wednesday (15 January), for the North American help in efforts to free Israeli hostages. In one on the social network X, the prime minister’s office stated that the leaders spoke by telephone during the night.
In the conversation, Netanyahu said he was “committed to returning all hostages in any way possible” and praised Trump’s statements about the partnership between the 2 countries to “ensure that Gaza is never a haven for terrorism”.
Netanyahu also spoke with Biden, whom he thanked “for his assistance in advancing the hostage settlement”.
