US President Joe Biden on Wednesday addressed the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
"At long last, I can announce that a ceasefire and hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas. More than 15 months of conflict, that began with Hezbollah's (sic.) brutal massacre on October 7th; more than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families, and the Israeli people; more than 15 months of suffering by the innocent people of Gaza, the fighting will stop, and soon the hostages will return home to their families," the president opened.
"The elements of this deal, are what I laid out in detail this past May, which was embraced by countries around the world and endorsed overwhelmingly by the UN Security Council."
The President detailed the deal: "The deal is structured in three phases. Phase one will last six weeks and includes a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas in Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women, the elderly, and the wounded. I'm proud to say that Americans will be part of that hostage release in phase one as well and the Vice President and I can not wait to welcome them home.
"In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During phase one the Palestinians can also return to their neighborhoods in all the areas of Gaza and the surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza will begin. The innocent people can have greater access to these vital supplies."
Biden added: "During the next six weeks, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two - which is a permanent end of the war. There are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two, but the plan says if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue."
The president explained that during the second phase, the remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, will be returned, and all remaining Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza making the temporary ceasefire permanent.
In phase three, the final remains of hostages who were killed will be returned to their families and the reconstruction of Gaza will begin.
Biden proclaimed: "This was one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced. We've reached this point because of the pressure that Israel put on Hamas, backed by the United States. Hamas's long-time leader Sinwar was killed. Hamas's strongest backer, Iran, launched attacks on Israel and those attacks failed after my administration organized a coalition of nations to stop them. After I ordered the US ships and planes to come to Israel's defense, we also shaped Israel's strong response: destroying Iran's air defenses but avoiding an escalatory cycle of an all-out war."
Shortly before the address, Biden released a statement, reading: "Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.
"I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council. It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done," he added.
"Even as we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in Hamas’s October 7th attack, and the many innocent people killed in the war that followed. It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin. I am also if thinking of the American families, three of whom have living hostages in Gaza and four awaiting return of remains after what has been the most horrible ordeal imaginable. Under this deal, we are determined to bring all of them home.
He concluded: "I will speak more about this soon. For now, I am thrilled that those who have been held hostage are being reunited with their families."