The ongoing President of the United States, Joe Biden administration, admitted that it took President-elect Donald Trump to close the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and force a hostage release after 15 months of war that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The officials told the New York Post that it was Trump's impending inauguration — combined with the efforts of his Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, that finally solved a problem that had proved intractable for President Biden and his team.
The US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, "When it comes to the involvement of President-elect Trump's team, it has been absolutely critical in getting this deal over the line. We, of course, thank the Trump team for working with us on this ceasefire agreement. We think it's important that they were at the table."
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"The government of Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire along the terms proposed by the U.S. in May. It comes as a result of extensive diplomatic engagements by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt and will bring immediate relief to the people of both Gaza and Israel," Miller said.
The cease-fire was set to take effect on Sunday, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani of Qatar, a mediating country, told reporters. He added, though, that both sides were still working on concluding some of the logistical matters.