Statement by President Joe Biden
After many months of intense diplomacy by the United States and Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage agreement. This agreement will stop the fighting in Gaza, provide much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.
I set out the precise contours of this plan on 31 May 2024, after which it was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council. It is the result not only of the extreme pressure Hamas has been under and the changed regional balance following the ceasefire in Lebanon and the weakening of Iran - but also of persistent and careful American diplomacy. My diplomacy has never ceased in its efforts to achieve this goal.
While we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in the Hamas attack on 7 October and the many innocent people killed in the ensuing war. It is long past time for the fighting to end and for the work of building peace and security to begin. If I also think of the American families, three of whom have living hostages in Gaza and four of whom are awaiting the return of their remains after the most terrible ordeal imaginable. Under this agreement, we are committed to bringing them all home.
I'll talk more about that soon. For now, I am thrilled that those who were held hostage are being reunited with their families
Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris
Thanks to the leadership of President Joe Biden, a ceasefire and hostage agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas. I thank the mediators - the Emir of Qatar, Al-Thani, and President el-Sisi of Egypt - and I am grateful for the work of the American leaders whose diligent diplomacy enabled us to reach this important moment.
Doug and I pray for all the hostages and are thankful that some of them, including the Americans, will soon be reunited with their loved ones. In my meetings with the families of the American hostages, I have promised that they will never be alone in this fight. President Biden and I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans, and we are determined that all American hostages will be returned home as part of this agreement.
We will never forget the lives claimed by the brutal Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October and the horrors experienced by countless innocent people in the ensuing war. In many conversations with leaders in the region, I have been unwavering in my focus on ending this war so that Israel is safe, hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.
The agreement will begin to bring desperately needed relief to the people of Gaza through an increase in humanitarian aid and an end to the fighting. While much work remains to be done, I believe that this agreement can be the foundation on which we build towards a two-state solution that will create a more peaceful future for the Israeli and Palestinian people. I will never stop working to achieve a future of greater peace, dignity and security for all the people of the region.
US President-elect Donald Trump has declared that the Israeli hostages held by Hamas will soon be released. "We have a hostage agreement in the Middle East. They will be released soon," wrote on his platform Social Truth. He then added: "This landmark cease-fire agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic November victory, which signaled to the entire world that my Administration will pursue peace and negotiate agreements that ensure the security of all Americans and our allies. I am thrilled that American and Israeli hostages will return home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.
With this agreement in place, my national security team, through Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our allies to ensure that Gaza NEVER becomes a safe haven for terrorists. We will continue to enforce PEACE THROUGH POWER throughout the region and build on this ceasefire to further expand the historic Abrahamic Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America and indeed the entire world!
We have accomplished so much without being in the White House. Just imagine all the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House and my administration is fully confirmed to deliver another Victory for the United States!"
Whitehouse/ gnews - RoZ
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