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While President-elect Trump and President Biden are jockeying for recognition for a cease-fire betwixt Israel and Hamas, immoderate Republicans are wary of the woody and whether it volition stick.
"There's nary portion of maine that trusts Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa martyrs Brigade, Fatah oregon the rank-and-file radical that voted for Hamas," Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the House's caller Foreign Affairs Committee chair, told Fox News Digital.
"There's nary portion of maine that trusts them successful immoderate mode whatsoever. I bash spot there's a fearfulness of God successful them from the information that President Trump is coming in, Secretary Rubio and Stefanik, others, [and] what's not going to proceed with programs similar UNRWA," helium added, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. "I spot that determination is simply a chilling effect, you know, however they spot the satellite going forward. But there's nary portion of maine that trusts them successful immoderate way."
Asked if helium was celebrating the woody itself alongside immoderate of his colleagues, Mast said, "I'm skeptical, similar anything."
"If it gets Americans home, I'm blessed astir getting Americans home," Mast went on. "That's been a occupation for maine that, you know, if there's Americans detained abroad, I would person each anticipation that there's an American coming to get them. And, to me, unfortunately, that hasn't been the result."
The cease-fire is meant arsenic a mode to bring location the remaining hostages taken from Israel and supply a way to bid for the 2 cardinal Palestinians who person been surviving successful a warfare portion since Hamas' bloody onslaught successful Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023.
The woody has implications for the U.S.: Seven hostages who stay successful Hamas’ clutches are Americans.
"Why is lame duck Joe Biden trying to cram down a atrocious woody connected Israel connected his mode retired the door?" Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote connected X. "The lone ‘deal’ should beryllium unconditional surrender by Hamas—which is already astir destroyed—and instrumentality of ALL hostages. Instead, we perceive reports that Biden is demanding that Israel retreat from cardinal terrain successful Gaza, merchandise dozens of hardened terrorists for each 1 hostage, and get backmost lone SOME hostages?"
Sources confirmed Israeli reporting to Fox News Digital that it was Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who traveled to Doha, Qatar and strong-handed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into sitting down to finalize the woody that had evaded the Biden administration’s mediation for the amended portion of the past year.
The archetypal cease-fire successful November 2023 lasted lone 1 week, with some sides accusing the different of breaking it. In that time, 105 hostages were released, arsenic were 240 Palestinian prisoners.
ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU DELAYS GAZA CEASE-FIRE VOTE, ACCUSING HAMAS OF TRYING TO BACK OUT OF DEAL
Trump had promised determination would beryllium "hell to pay" if a cease-fire was not reached by the clip helium took office, which volition beryllium connected Jan. 20. His surrogates developed adjacent relationships with Arab leaders successful plaything states similar Michigan passim the campaign, promising Trump would bring bid to the Middle East.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED: ‘AMERICANS WILL BE PART OF THAT’
The deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators, with the assistance of mediation from some the outgoing Biden medication and Witkoff, is acceptable up successful 3 phases. It volition spot 3 hostages released connected the archetypal time – Sunday – with caller hostages released each week. That signifier volition entail a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphi corridor connected Egypt’s borderline and the alleged buffer portion successful the Gazan territory bordering Israel.
Women, children and men implicit 50 volition beryllium prioritized initially. Over the people of the 42-day archetypal phase, 33 of the remaining Israeli hostages volition beryllium released successful speech for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
That radical is apt to see immoderate who person been convicted of murder. On Thursday, Netanyahu delayed ratification of the woody implicit disagreements astir whether helium would get a veto implicit which prisoners convicted of execution would beryllium released. Israel’s Cabinet volition present conscionable Friday to ratify the deal.
"This EPIC ceasefire statement could person lone happened arsenic a effect of our Historic Victory successful November, arsenic it signaled to the full World that my Administration would question Peace and negociate deals to guarantee the information of each Americans, and our Allies," Trump wrote connected societal media.
Biden said from the White House that "my diplomacy ne'er ceased successful their efforts to get this done."
He added, "This program was developed and negotiated by my squad and volition beryllium mostly implemented by the incoming administration."
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