After many long months of death and destruction there is news that there is a ceasefire deal for Gaza….

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies. The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in Qatar, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. It would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes, and would also flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.

With good news there is always a caveat when Israel is involved….

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night addressed the ceasefire deal being worked out between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing that the agreement is not yet complete. He later went further, claiming Hamas backtracked on a previous understanding of the three-phase deal. The AP reports that claim “could indicate that obstacles remain” to actually implementing the deal, which would see dozens of Israeli hostages released by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel and hundreds of displaced Palestinians being allowed to return to their homes in Gaza.

Then the news, if you were paying attention, it was a Trump envoy that moved the negotiations along to this point….

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, did more to pressure Israel to agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal in one meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than President Biden did in an entire year, two Arab officials have told The Times of Israel.

Witkoff met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday and got him to make concessions, which Israeli media said was the deciding factor that led to the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday.

It’s unclear how Witkoff got Netanyahu to agree to the deal, but the Biden administration refused to use any of its leverage over Israel to force a deal and continued providing huge amounts of military aid to support the genocidal slaughter in Gaza.

Even though Witkoff played a crucial role in the deal, Biden took credit for the agreement. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

In brief remarks at the White House, Biden credited his foreign policy team, who he referred to as “peacemakers” despite their role in backing the slaughter in Gaza. When asked by a reporter if he or Trump should get credit for the deal, Biden said, “Is that a joke?”

Biden also credited his strong backing of Israel as a factor that led to the deal. But unconditional US support for Israel emboldened Netanyahu to sabotage previous negotiations and escalate elsewhere in the region.

The ceasefire deal is based on an outline Biden proposed back in May 2024, which Hamas accepted months ago. The agreement involves three phases and does not commit Israel to a permanent ceasefire.

(antiwar.com)

My hat goes off to the Trump admin if the report is true….Trump may have done what Biden was unwilling top do.

Now I ask what was said to get this process to this point?

We there threats or promises?

And not to worry this will not be the end for Israel will find an excuse to kill more and destroy more….usually the two most common excuses are ‘self-defense’ and ‘national security’

I hope I am wrong but I feel this is far from over.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”