Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked both outgoing US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for their help in brokering a ceasefire deal to free Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that during their conversation he acknowledged their contribution to advancing the pact between the Jewish state and the Islamic terrorist group Hamas.
Specifically, he thanked Trump, who will take office on January 20, “for his help in promoting the release of the hostages and in helping Israel end the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families.”
“The prime minister made clear that he is committed to returning all abductees by any means and congratulated the American president-elect for his words that the United States will work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will NEVER again be a haven for terrorism,” Netanyahu’s office stressed.
In that conversation they agreed to meet “soon” in Washington to discuss this and other “important” issues.
The statement devoted more space to the exchange with the Republican leader than to the one with Biden, about whom it said that “he also thanked him for his help in moving forward on the hostage agreement.”
The White House said Biden had spoken to Netanyahu to congratulate him on the deal, which the United States has mediated.
“The two leaders discussed the unimaginable conditions that the hostages – including the Americans – have experienced during their 15 months in captivity and the terrible suffering their families have faced, and expressed their joy that the hostages will soon be reunited with their families,” the US presidential statement said.
The announced ceasefire will come into effect this coming Sunday and will allow the release of Israeli hostages - alive and dead.
The announcement by the Prime Minister's Office is the first confirmation that Israel has accepted the agreement to release the hostages and to call for a ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article