(AFP) – US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday a “full and complete” ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the first part of their peace accord, and said he had acted as “one team” with incoming leader Donald Trump. Speaking at the White House just days before he leaves office, a visibly relieved Biden said the negotiations to halt the Gaza conflict had been some of the “toughest” of his career. “I’m deeply satisfied this day has come, finally come,” Biden said in a televised statement.
A number of Americans would be among the hostages who would be released by Palestinian militants in Gaza, he added. The first phase of the deal would last six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas,” Biden said. The as yet unfinalized second phase would bring a “permanent end to the war,” the 82-year-old Democrat said, adding he was “confident” the deal would hold.
Biden’s administration has been criticized for its channeling of military aid to Israel during its offensive in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. But he said pressure on Hamas and its Iranian backers had helped push through a truce, adding that the deal now agreed was the “exact” same as one he had proposed in May.
Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile said his administration had been working as “one team” with Trump’s ahead of the Republican starting his second term as president on January 20. “In these past few days, we’ve been speaking as one team,” said Biden, noting that most of the implementation of the deal would be under a Trump White House.
“I told my team to coordinate close with the incoming team to make sure we’re all speaking with the same voice — because that’s what American presidents do.” Trump earlier claimed credit for the “epic” deal, in posts on social media. His Mideast envoy was involved in the talks and consulted with the White House.
Asked by a reporter whether he or Trump was mainly responsible for the deal, Biden replied: “Is that a joke?”
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