Outgoing President Joe Biden and upcoming President Donald Trump battled for the credit of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
According to Associated Press, soon after Israel and Hamas agreed on the ceasefire deal after over 15 months of the war, both Biden and Trump claim the credit.
The 78-year-old, without wasting any time, gave the credit of the long-awaited deal to his November presidential election victory while Biden stressed that the deal was reached under “the precise contours” of his late May 2024 plan.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic Victory in November, as it signalled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our Allies.”
Meanwhile, Biden told reporters from the White House, “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done. 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 the weakening of Iran but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy.”
Moreover, after Biden ends his address about the deal standing between Kamala Harris and Antony John Blinken, a reporter asked him who deserves credit for the deal, to which he replied, "Is that a joke?"
Notably, the ceasefire deal and hostage release deal will come into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
