‘At the closest point yet’: Reports say ceasefire in war triggered by Hamas terror is near
President-elect Donald Trump, noted for the stunning agreements between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors in the Abraham Accords reached during his first term in the White House, has stated, some say threatened, “hell to pay” if the hostages Hamas terrorists took from Israel a year ago aren’t released by the time he’s inaugurated.
WorldNetDaily reported Sunday that JD Vance, the vice president-elect, explained that means, “enabling the Israelis to knock out the final couple of battalions of Hamas and their leadership. It means very aggressive sanctions and financial penalties on those who are supporting terrorist organizations in the Middle East. It means actually doing the job of American leadership.”
He added, “We’re hopeful there’s going to be a deal that’s struck toward the very end of Biden’s administration – maybe the last day or two. But regardless of when that deal is struck, it will be because people are terrified that there are going to be consequences for Hamas.”
With those consequences looming, a newly published report that cites the Associated Press as a source claims that Hamas now has “accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.”
And accompanying that would be “the release of dozens of hostages.”
The report cited the “mediators from the United States and Qatar” saying, “Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the closest point yet to sealing a deal to bring them a step closer to ending 15 months of war.”
The AP reported obtaining a copy of what was a proposed agreement, “and an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity,” the report said.
“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” Antony Blinken. America’s secretary of state for a few more days, said Tuesday.
Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., under the Joe Biden administration, have failed for the past year to reach a conclusion to the war and obtain freedom for hostages who remain alive.
The movement in the negotiations, however, started quickly once Trump became the president-elect and made clear his intentions to resolve the bloodshed quickly.
Even Hamas officials, who have rejected earlier plans, now have said negotiations had reached their “final stage.”
The attack, Oct. 7, 2023, involved Hamas terrorists invading Israel, killing some 1,200 civilians and abducting another 250.
Some 100 still are thought to be hostages, but many of those may already be dead.
Reports said the ceasefire and release of hostages would involve multiple steps in a phased process.
Hamas in the past has demanded a complete Israeli pullback as well as a reconstruction program for Gaza, while Israel wants an end to the threat of terrorists on its border.
What does Trump’s ‘hell to pay’ threat to Hamas actually mean? Watch JD Vance explain