Trump Blasts Biden, Takes Credit for The Ceasefire Agreement

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated on Thursday that the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas would not have been possible without the pressure applied by him and his incoming administration.

The agreement, which involves exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, is pending approval from Israel’s security cabinet before it can take effect. Following this approval, negotiations for a permanent end to the conflict will begin.

Just four days before his second inauguration, Trump mentioned on the Dan Bongino Show that the negotiations would not have concluded without the efforts of his team, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

“If we weren’t involved in this deal, the deal would’ve never happened,” Trump said.

“We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” he added.

Israel’s security cabinet was scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the terms of a ceasefire, which would take effect on Sunday at the earliest, just before Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday.

Trump also fired at outgoing President Joe Biden for taking credit for the ceasefire agreement, calling him “ungracious” and saying: “He didn’t do anything! If I didn’t do this, if we didn’t get involved, the hostages would never be out.”

Last May, Biden proposed a ceasefire agreement with terms similar to those discussed this week.

The proposed ceasefire agreement includes an initial 42-day halt in hostilities, during which 33 hostages would be released and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s population centers.

In the second phase of the agreement, Biden stated, there is the potential to establish a “permanent end to the war.”

In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Biden stated that he had not engaged in any recent discussions with Trump regarding the ceasefire negotiations.