Multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, have stated that the Israeli government and representatives from the Islamic terror group Hamas have agreed to halt fighting and swap prisoners.
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(LifeSiteNews) — Conflicting but encouraging reports have emerged pertaining to a possible ceasefire and hostage exchange in the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, stated that the Israeli government and representatives from the Islamic terror group Hamas have agreed to halt fighting and swap prisoners.
“The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes,” the AP said earlier today.
But a crucial update from the outlet at 1:18 p.m. Eastern Standard Time announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a deal “has not been reached and that the final details were still being sorted out.”
The AP added that Netanyahu’s team was hopeful that something could be agreed to by Wednesday night.
Despite international calls to end his relentless bombardment of Gaza and its surrounding areas over the past 14 moths, Netanyahu has continued to carry out what Pope Francis and others have characterized as a “genocide.”
Conservative estimates place the death toll in the region at a minimum of 45,000, with many women and children among the war’s casualties.
Social media users were quick to applaud the news of a ceasefire but lamented the extensive damage carried out by the Israeli military.
Latin Patriarchate Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa has repeatedly exposed the war crimes being carried out by Israel over the past year, including the country’s targeting of Christian churches and civilians in Gaza.
A week after the fighting began in October 2023, Pizzaballa offered himself in exchange for Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir acknowledged just this week that he and the Netanyahu cabinet have worked to ensure peace negotiations would not succeed.
“In the last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this deal from going ahead, time after time,” he confessed on X, infuriating critics of Netanyahu who have long maintained he has used the war to stay in power for his own personal benefit to avoid corruption charges.
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media today that a deal had in fact been agreed to.
“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 said on Truth Social.
Just one week ago, Trump warned that "all hell will break out" if the hostages weren't returned “by the time I get into office.”
While neoconservatives as well as Trump are pointing to the deal as a victory over Islamic radicals, it must not be forgotten that Trump met and pressured Netanyahu in October at Mar-a-Lago as well. He reportedly told him that he needs to wrap up the war before he assumes office on January 20, which is Monday.
What becomes of Netanyahu’s future if a peace deal is struck remains to be seen. Cardinal Pizzaballa called for “new leadership” in the region late last year. Trump, meanwhile, has had a frosty relationship with the embattled leader since leaving office. Not only did he not invite him to his inauguration next Monday, Trump posted a video on social media last week of geopolitical analyst Jeffrey Sachs denouncing him.
At the same time, hope that Trump would surround himself with foreign policy realists like Colonel Douglas Macgregor dissipated instantaneously when he named New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, a known Zionist, as his ambassador to the United Nations. The move drew praise from the Jewish Anti-Defamation League.
Trump’s selection of arch-Zionist Mike Huckabee as his Ambassador to Israel is equally alarming for anti-war Republicans, as he seems to think that support for the state of Israel is related to Biblical prophecy. Pete Hegseth, who appeared on Capitol Hill yesterday, is similarly worrying. He has been tapped as Trump's Secretary of Defense. In the past, Hegseth has called himself a “Christian Zionist” and believes a Third Temple should be built in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, he told lawmakers, "I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas." What this means for peace in the region moving forward is not readily apparent.
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