The ceasefire announced Wednesday and going into effect on Sunday in Gaza was undoubtedly an effort ushered through by the United States, in conjunction with Qatar and Egypt.
But with Washington in a transitional period and just days away from inaugurating a new president, which administration was responsible for seeing the deal through?
President-elect Donald Trump was quick to insist it was his team that secured the agreement.
“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,” Trump wrote on this TruthSocial platform.
“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. We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region,” he added.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Witkoff was indeed among the first to be thanked for securing the deal by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Wednesday, before he thanked President Joe Biden’s Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk.
Haaretz reported last week that Witcoff showed up on the Sabbath in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office – a highly unconventional move – to insist that he sign the deal.
Arab diplomats have since said that Trump’s team was able to pressure Israel in ways Biden was unwilling to do – or perhaps couldn’t at all.
Trump had previously warned that there would be “hell to pay” if a deal to secure the release of all the Israeli captives held by armed groups in Gaza was not sealed by his inauguration on 20 January. The deal signed now secures the release of all the captives who are not male Israeli combatants.
President Joe Biden, meanwhile, delivered remarks alongside his vice president and secretary of state, saying that the ceasefire deal was built on the proposal his administration had put forward on 31 May.
But without applying pressure on Israel, the proposal went nowhere, and another 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since that day.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Wednesday that, in fact, the incoming and outgoing Middle East envoys worked together to realise the deal, with Witcoff taking on the Israeli side and McGurk dealing with the other mediating parties.
It was described as a “historically unprecedented, highly fruitful partnership”.
“It’s quite remarkable and speaks to what can be done when the country sets a common objective,” the official said.
“Those of you who have followed the negotiations can attest the road to this deal has not been easy,” Biden said during his remarks.
“I worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve ever experienced, and [we] reached this point because of the pressure Israel put on Hamas, backed by the United States.”
Hamas maintains that it accepted Biden’s deal back in June. Netanyahu did not.
Biden said his administration laid the groundwork for what was a key foreign policy goal before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, a “future of normalisation and integration of Israel and all its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia”.
Trump had begun the normalisation process back in 2020 with the so-called Abraham Accords.
Upon concluding his remarks, a reporter asked Biden who deserved the credit for the ceasefire agreement. He turned around and replied, “Is that a joke?”
Reporter: Who deserves the credit for this Mr. President you or Trump?
Biden: Is that a joke?
Seems like a pretty legitimate question. pic.twitter.com/lhigRhQx6q
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) January 15, 2025
For his part, Netanyahu called both presidents late on Wednesday to thank them for their “help” and said he would be in Washington “soon”.
Hamas’s acting chief, Khalil al-Hayya, suggested Israel ended up waging a war of attrition and failed to realise its objectives.
“On behalf of all the victims, every drop of blood spilled and every tear of pain and oppression, we say: We will not forget, and we will not forgive,” Hayya said.
Global reaction
Qatar, where the latest round of talks were held, released a statement on Wednesday saying it would be the guarantor of the ceasefire agreement alongside Egypt and the United States.
“The mediators will work together to ensure that the parties implement their obligations in the agreement and that the three stages continue in full,” Qatar’s foreign affairs ministry said.
“The guarantors will also work in coordination with the UN, other providers of assistance, and partners from around the world to support the rapid and sustained surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza… We call on other countries to join and support these efforts under mechanisms.”
Jordan and Saudi Arabia also expressed their support for the deal.
In a statement shared on X, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he salutes the “heroic people and brave sons of Gaza who courageously defended their land”.
“As Turkiye, we have never left our Palestinian brothers alone for a moment in their struggle against oppression and tyranny,” he wrote. “God willing, we will continue to stand by the people of Gaza and use all our resources to help Gaza heal its wounds and get back on its feet.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement focused on the Israeli captives held in Gaza, of which there are around 100 left of the 250 captured in October 2023.
‘Life will start again’: Palestinians in Gaza react to ceasefire announcement
Read More »
“The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families,” he said in a statement.
“But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home – including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them.”
Starmer also called for a “sovereign and viable Palestine state” alongside Israel, referencing the long-held notion of a two-state solution.
French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no justification for what all the victims endured.
“After fifteen months of unjustifiable suffering, there is immense relief for the people of Gaza and hope for the hostages and their families,” he said.
“The hostages must be freed. The Gazans [must be] rescued. A political solution must be found,” he added.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau said there is “more work ahead, but today there is hope”.
“We will support every effort to see [the deal] implemented,” he said. “We urge the parties to act immediately. All the hostages must be returned home. The horrific violence and suffering must end. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must end.”
Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, a vocal pro-Palestine voice, called the deal “good news for humanity”.
“Colombia will be willing to send medical teams to Gaza to care for injured children and services will be offered in Colombia,” he wrote on X.
