President Biden marked the long-awaited Armistice and Hostage Agreement When the agreement officially took effect on Sunday, comments between Israel and Hamas included celebration that it had “finally come to fruition.”
Mr Biden said that as he spoke, hundreds of trucks carrying aid for civilians were entering Gaza, adding that “after so much pain, destruction and loss of life, today the guns have fallen silent in Gaza “
“Three Israeli women were held in dark tunnels for 470 days against their will,” Mr Biden said. Three female hostages were released into the custody of the Red Cross on Sunday morning, he said, adding that four more women were released. Will be done. Seven days, and every seven days thereafter three additional hostages, including at least two American citizens.
The pause in fighting, which marks the second in a war that began with a Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, came after pressure from the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration. The hostages released Sunday are the first of 33 hostages that Hamas is expected to free during the first phase of the deal.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Mr Biden said, “Today's ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages is the result of a principled and effective policy that we have presided over for months.” “And we got here without the widespread war in the Middle East that many had predicted. And now it's up to the next administration to help implement this agreement.”
mr biden deal announced On Wednesday, after a week of intense talks brokered by Qatar, the US and Egypt, it was underlined that Americans would also be among the hostages released in the first phase of the agreement, which it said would last six weeks.
Speaking from the White House on Wednesday afternoon, the President said, “There is no other way to end this war except a hostage agreement,” adding that the negotiations were one of the most “tough” ever. He is “deeply satisfied” that the deal has finally come to fruition.
“We have seen many difficult days since Hamas began its terrible war,” Mr Biden said on Wednesday. “We faced many obstacles and retreated. But we have not given up. And now after more than 400 days of struggle, the day of success has come.”
The comments came as Mr. Biden is visiting Charleston, South Carolina, to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, his final full day in office on Sunday, which falls on Monday, when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president. Will take. ,