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15 January 2025•Update: 16 January 2025
WASHINGTON
US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a deal has been reached for hostages in Gaza amid media reports that Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire deal.
"We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Earlier, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that it has officially responded to a proposed cease-fire agreement with Israel.
In a statement, the group said: “Hamas leadership has just delivered its response to the cease-fire proposal to the mediators (Egypt and Qatar).”
The announcement followed an emergency meeting of Hamas's political bureau to discuss the mediators’ proposal, the statement added.
In a subsequent post, Trump calls the deal an "EPIC ceasefire agreement," saying it was a result of his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones," said Trump.
"With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven," said the president-elect.
"We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!" he added.
According to multiple American news outlets, a cease-fire deal has been reached to end 15 months of fighting in the Palestinian enclave.
Citing Hamas and Israeli officials and a source briefed on the negotiations, NBC News reported that the deal will also free dozens of hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
