As President-elect Trump and President Biden vie for the outcome of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, some Republicans are wary of the deal and whether it will stick.
“There is no part of me that trusts Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah, or the ordinary people who voted for Hamas,” said new Florida Republican congressman Brian. Congressman Mast said. the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman told Fox News Digital.
“There’s no part of me that trusts them at all. The fact that President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Stefanik and others are coming in, I think there’s a fear of God in them. I believe it. [and] Programs like UNRWA will not be sustainable,” he said, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, adding, “I believe it will have a chilling effect on how they see the world going forward.” . But there’s no part of me that trusts them at all. ”
Asked whether he and his colleagues were celebrating the acquisition itself, Mr. Mast said: “As with anything, I’m skeptical.”
“If we can bring Americans home, I’m happy to bring Americans home,” Mast continued. “That was the problem for me. If there were Americans detained overseas, I had every expectation that the Americans would come and get them. And unfortunately, for me, that It didn’t turn out like that.”
The ceasefire allows the remaining hostages taken from Israel to return home and provides a path to peace for the 2 million Palestinians living in the war zone since Hamas’s bloody attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. intended as a means of providing .
President Trump has promised “hell to pay” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and Hamas do not agree to a ceasefire by the time he takes office. (AP/Sebastian Scheiner)
The agreement also affects the United States, and the seven hostages remaining in Hamas’ hands are American citizens.
“Why is lame duck Joe Biden trying to squeeze in a bad deal for Israel when he leaves office?” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) said of X: “The only ‘deal’ is with Hamas unconditional surrender (already almost Instead, we hear reports that Biden is demanding that Israel: “withdraw from key areas of Gaza and return dozens of hostages for each hostage.” Will they release the tough human terrorists and take back only a few hostages? ”
Sources told Fox News Digital that President Trump’s Middle East envoy visited Doha, Qatar, and strongman Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to avoid mediation by the Biden administration and forge a better deal. He confirmed that Israel had reported that it was Steve Witkoff. Part of the past year.
The first ceasefire in November 2023 lasted only a week, with both sides accusing the other of breaking the agreement. During this time, 105 hostages were freed, as were 240 Palestinian prisoners of war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postpones Gaza ceasefire vote, accuses Hamas of trying to pull out of deal
Trump had promised “hell to pay” if a ceasefire was not reached by his inauguration on January 20. During the campaign, Mr. Trump’s agents forged close ties with Arab leaders in battleground states such as Michigan. , Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East.
Sen. Tom Cotton called the ceasefire a “bad deal.” (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, via Getty Images/File)
Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast (R-Florida) said he did not trust Hamas or the Palestinians to honor the agreement. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/File)
Israel-Hamas ceasefire, hostage release agreement reached: “America will join in”
The deal will be prepared in three stages, brokered by Qatari negotiators, with help from both the outgoing Biden administration and Witkoff. Three hostages were released on the first Sunday, and new hostages are expected to be released each week. That step would require the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphia Corridor on the Egyptian border and the so-called buffer zone in the Gaza Strip, which borders Israel.
First priority will be given to women, children and men over 50. In the first 42-day phase, the remaining 33 Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners.
That group is likely to include people convicted of murder. On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed ratification of the deal, citing disagreements over whether to veto the release of prisoners convicted of murder. Israel’s Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to ratify the agreement.
“This EPIC cease-fire agreement could only have come about as a result of the historic victory in November, because it meant that our administration sought peace and negotiated an agreement that ensures the safety of all Americans and our allies. Because we showed the world that we do,” Trump wrote. on social media.
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“My diplomacy has never stopped working to get this done,” Biden said from the White House.
He added: “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be primarily implemented by the incoming administration.”
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