Biden briefly responds to a question about Trump’s role in the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas
President Biden deflected a question Wednesday from Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich about whether President-elect Trump deserves credit for recent Ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The deal comes during Biden’s final days in office, less than a week before Trump’s second term begins on January 20. A recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was reportedly part of the deal, sources told Fox News Digital.
“Who in the history books gets the credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?” Heinrich Biden asked at a White House press conference Wednesday afternoon.
“Is that a joke?” replied the president.
When Heinrich denied that her question was a joke, Biden responded, “Oh. Thank you,” and left.
President Joe Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Cross Room of the White House on Wednesday. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Minutes earlier, Biden explained that the ceasefire would consist of two phases. The first phase, which will last about six weeks, “includes a full and complete cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly wounded.”
“And I’m proud to say that Americans will also be a part of that hostage release and phase one,” Biden said. “And the vice president and I can’t wait to welcome them home.”
Israel has also freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Biden said, and Palestinians “can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, and a wave of humanitarian aid to Gaza will begin.” The second phase of the ceasefire will begin after Israel negotiates the “necessary agreements”, which Biden said would mark a “permanent end to the war”.
“There are a number of details for negotiations on the transition from the first to the second phase,” the president continued. “But the plan says that if the negotiations last more than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.”
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Relatives and friends of people killed and kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza react to a ceasefire announcement as they take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Trump warned a few weeks ago that there would be “hell to pay” if there was no significant progress on the hostage deal by the time he took office.
“Everyone is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely and against the will of the whole world in the Middle East – But that’s just a story, nothing!” Trump wrote in a post by Truth Social.
“Please let this TRUTH serve as evidence that if the hostages are not released before January 20, 2025, the date I proudly take office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL in the Middle East, and for those responsible for these crimes against of humanity,” Trump added.
Shortly after Biden announced the deal, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller acknowledged the role Trump’s team played in the negotiations and thanked them.
“I don’t know if it’s unprecedented to have envoys from the outgoing and incoming administrations sitting at the same table negotiating a cease-fire agreement of this nature,” Miller said Wednesday. “But if it’s not unprecedented, it’s certainly unusual.”
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President Biden speaks about the recently announced cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Wednesday, in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“And, of course, we thank the Trump team for working with this on this cease-fire agreement. We think it’s important that they were at the table.”
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Greg Norman, Trey Yingst, Brooke Curto, Efrat Lachter and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
