Guys, it's only five days till the adults are back in charge and the world is starting to notice.
Axios confirmed Trump's statement with further comments from U.S. and Israeli officials.
A deal has been reached in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas to release hostages being held in Gaza and establish a ceasefire, one U.S. official and one Israeli official tell Axios.
There is a breakthrough in the hostage deal negotiations in Doha. Hamas' military leader in Gaza Mohammed Sinwar gave his OK," one Israeli official said.
A second Israeli official said there is optimism that a deal could be announced by Thursday at the latest.
Almost like real leadership is returning to D.C. and the terrorists have to respect whose in charge again.
Almost.
According to the expected agreement, 33 hostages would be released in the first phase of the deal, including women, children, men over the age of 50 and men under the age of 50 who are wounded and sick ...
During the first phase, Israeli Defense Forces would also gradually withdraw to a buffer zone in Gaza near the border with Israel, the official said. The IDF would leave the Netzarim corridor in the center of the Gaza Strip and the Philadelphi corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt — two areas that have been a sticking point in past negotiations.
According to Axios, they're just waiting on the okay from Hamas and the deal could happen in the next 24 hours.
President-elect Trump seems to confirm:
Here's part of the reason this deal is happening -- a deal very similar to the one Biden had in mind, but could not deliver on:
Last Friday evening, Steven Witkoff, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, called from Qatar to tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides that he would be coming to Israel the following afternoon. The aides politely explained that was in the middle of the Sabbath but that the prime minister would gladly meet him Saturday night.
Witkoff's blunt reaction took them by surprise. He explained to them in salty English that Shabbat was of no interest to him. His message was loud and clear. Thus in an unusual departure from official practice, the prime minister showed up at his office for an official meeting with Witkoff, who then returned to Qatar to seal the deal.
Trump isn't even in office yet, and already we're seeing signs of peace in the Middle East!
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