BY C STONE | STONE NEWS NETWORK
Hamas and Israel have agreed to a hostage-ceasefire deal.
From the Times of Israel:
- Islamic Jihad calls ceasefire deal ‘an honorable agreement to stop the aggression’
- Hamas leader touts ceasefire as a defeat for Israel while hailing Oct. 7 atrocities
- US official says 2 American-Israeli hostages to be freed in first phase of deal
Hamas has called the ceasefire deal "honorable."
"Today, our people and their resistance imposed an honorable agreement to stop the aggression," Islamic Jihad said.
Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya says in a televised address that Israel failed to achieve its goals in Gaza, as he declares the ceasefire-hostage deal that was announced as a “historic moment” and describes it as a defeat for the Jewish state.
“Our people have thwarted the declared and hidden goals of the occupation. Today we prove that the occupation will never defeat our people and their resistance,” al-Hayya is quoted as saying by Germany’s dpa news agency.
He vows the Gaza-ruling terror group will neither forgive or forget, while praising the Hamas-led massacres of Israelis in October 2023 that started the war in Gaza as a “military accomplishment” and “a source of pride for our people,” according to a New York Times translation of his remarks.
Al-Hayya additionally hails other Iran-backed organizations such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen for launching solidarity attacks on Israel.
He also indicates Hamas will continue to pursue Israel’s destruction, saying the Palestinian terrorist organization will continue to look toward Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a guide.
“Our enemy will never see a moment of weakness from us,” he adds.
Meanwhile, President Biden has praised the ceasefire deal, saying it will bring 'a permanent end of the war'.
Hoon/Pool Photo via AP)
US President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would use the momentum of the freshly agreed upon Gaza ceasefire deal to expand the Abraham Accords, the US-backed agreements struck during his first term that normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab countries.
Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas after 15 months of conflict.
Trump, who repeatedly threatened that there would be “hell to pay” if hostages were not released ahead of his January 20 inauguration, said he was “thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home.”
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“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,” he added, referring to the agreements that normalized Israel’s ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
“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 continued. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Israel and it's neighbors have been dealing with their own issues for years, boiling over almost 2 years ago in October during the massacre at the Israel settlement.
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