US President-elect Donald Trump assured on Thursday that the agreement reached to declare a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages would never have been concluded if it were not for pressure exerted by himself and members of the team that will join his future government.
The agreement, announced the day before yesterday Wednesday by Qatar and the US, is expected to come into effect the day after tomorrow, Sunday, if approved by the Israeli government.
It foresees, in its first phase, lasting six weeks, the release of dozens of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave, in exchange for the release of approximately a thousand Palestinians held in Israeli detention centers. In the second phase, the parties will negotiate a definitive end to the war.
Four days before being sworn in for his second term, Mr. Trump told the conservative podcast Dan Bongino Show that the negotiations would never have come to fruition without the pressure of himself and his team, particularly his future special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
"If we hadn't been involved in this deal, it would never have been closed," the Republican assured. "We changed the course of the situation, and we changed it quickly, and frankly, the good I want for them has been done (ed. the beginning of its implementation) before I take the oath," he added.
The Israeli government's so-called security council is expected to meet today to examine this agreement, which is expected to come into effect the day after tomorrow, Sunday, on the eve of the Republican's inauguration.
The leader of the American right also criticized outgoing President Joe Biden for not giving him the credit he deserves for concluding the agreement, saying that he was not "that kind." "He did nothing! If I hadn't done it, if we hadn't intervened, the hostages would never have been released," he insisted.
In May 2024, Mr. Biden presented a ceasefire agreement whose terms were effectively the same.
The agreement under consideration provides for a ceasefire initially for 42 days, during which 33 hostages will be released and Israeli army forces will be removed from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.
Its second phase may bring the "definitive end" of the war, as the outgoing American president noted.
In an interview he gave to MSNBC yesterday, Mr. Biden also noted that he had not recently had any discussions with Trump's successor regarding indirect negotiations.
Source: protothema.gr
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