After President-elect Donald Trump warned Hamas that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released prior to his inauguration, the Iran-backed terrorist organization just in the nick of time has ended the months-long negotiating standoff, agreeing to a hostage deal with Israel.
The agreement, which is still in the final stages of approval with Israeli officials, is set to go into effect on Sunday—the eve of the 47th President’s inauguration.
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While approximately one-third of hostages are being released in the first phase of the agreement, the deal still falls short of the demands by Trump for “all the hostages” to be released pre-inauguration.
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According to the Times of Israel, the first phase of the ceasefire will be for a period of 42 days and include the release of 33 hostages, two of which will reportedly be American-Israelis.
“The first three hostages are set to be released on the first day, with four more to go free on the seventh day. After that, three hostages are to be released every seven days, with the final 14 to be released in the final week of the first phase,” Times of Israel detailed. “The rest of the hostages, numbering 65, will only be freed if the sides can agree on a second phase for the truce, negotiations for which will begin some two weeks into the halt in fighting.”
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After over a year of tying Israel’s hands and, in so doing, emboldening Hamas, outgoing President Joe Biden scoffed at the idea of Trump deserving credit, calling it “a joke” despite the not-so-subtle timing of the deal.
Since his election on November 5th, the President-elect immediately began placing pressure on Hamas to back down. Trump’s latest warning on January 7th broadened the scope of his threat beyond Gaza, underscoring that if the hostages are not released before he takes office, “all hell will break out in the Middle East.”
“We have achieved so much without even being in the White House,” Trump emphasised on Wednesday. “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.”
“We will continue promoting peace through strength throughout the region,” he stated, adding that his administration “will continue to work closely with Israel and our allies to make sure Gaza never again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
Trump has long stated that Hamas’s brutal massacre on October 7 would not have taken place if he had been in office. Pete Hegseth, the President-elect’s nominee for defense secretary, agreed during his Senate confirmation hearing, stating that the weakness demonstrated by the Biden Administration’s embarrassing withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened bad actors such as Russia and Iran.
“What was unleashed because of what happened in Afghanistan? The October 7 attacks, an invasion into Ukraine. The world recognised weakness for what it was,” he asserted while voicing his support for Israel to eliminate “every last member of Hamas.”
Following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli Prime Minister spoke on the phone with the President-elect, thanking him for “his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages and for helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families”.
“The Prime Minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US President-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism,” Netanyahu’s office stated on X.
The IDF confirmed on Wednesday the beginning of preparations to receive the released hostages, calling the operation “Wings of Freedom”.
It is not yet known how many of the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released are living. While officials believe most of them to be alive, according to Israeli media, Hamas will be required to inform Israel of their status within the initial week of the deal. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, in a press conference following the agreement, stated that, of the seven Americans held captive in Gaza, three are sadly confirmed to be deceased.
Prayer breakfast
On Tuesday, the President-elect hosted the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast at his residence in Mar-A-Lago, where Jewish and Christian leaders gathered to pray for the incoming administration and its strong relationship with the nation of Israel.
Erick Stakelbeck, host of The Watchman Newscast and Stakelbeck Tonight, attended the breakfast and applauded the event’s timing, uniting Christians in prayer only days before the Trump Administration begins its work.
“This is the pivotal moment for the US-Israel relationship,” Stakebeck underscored. “This is a year of reckoning. The Iranian nuclear program, the hostage deal, Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, a potential peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia—a lot is happening.”
On Monday’s episode of The Watchman Newscast, Stakelbeck discussed the approaching ceasefire agreement and what our prayer should be as Christians who have a love for the Jewish State grounded on God’s unchanging Word.
“Join me in praying that every last hostage comes home alive—as many as possible come home to their loved ones,” he stressed. “To say they’ve gone through hell on Earth is the understatement of the year. [They have experienced] unspeakable atrocities and hellish conditions. Pray they come home safely. We have been praying for a miraculous hostage release for months and months; that continues to be our prayer.”
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