WASHINGTON (TNND) — Former President Joe Biden appeared to take at least some credit for the Israel-Hamas peace deal, which allowed the 20 remaining hostages to return home to their families.
While Biden seemingly praised President Donald Trump for his efforts to end the two-year war, Biden also claimed his administration laid the groundwork for Trump to negotiate.
The road to this deal was not easy,” Biden posted on X on Monday shortly after Trump signed the Gaza peace plan. “My Administration worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians, and end the war. I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.”
Bidena also said he is “deeply grateful and relieved” that the last living 20 hostages who have been through “unimaginable hell” were reunited with their loved ones, adding that the people of Gaza “will finally get the chance to rebuild their lives.”
“Now, with the backing of the United States and the world, the Middle East is on a path to peace that I hope endures and a future for Israelis and Palestinians alike with equal measures of peace, dignity, and safety,” he wrote.
In her own social media post, former Vice President Kamala Harris failed to name Trump. Instead, she said she commended “leaders and partners who efforts made this agreement possible, including the President and his team.”
“There is still much more work to do to secure a lasting peace, ensure the safety and dignity of every innocent life, and build a future where Israelis and Palestines can live side by side in freedom and security,” she wrote.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who served under Biden, also suggested that Trump’s 20-point ceasefire agreement was based on the one developed by the Biden administration.
It’s good that President Trump adopted and built on the plan the Biden Administration developed after months of discussion with Arab partners, Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” Blinken wrote, in part, on X.
Israel and Hamas moved ahead on a key first step of the tenuous Gaza ceasefire agreement on Monday by freeing hostages and prisoners, raising hopes that the U.S.-brokered deal might lead to a permanent end to the two-year war that ravaged the Palestinian territory.
For Israelis, the release of the 20 remaining living hostages brought elation and a sense of closure to a war many felt they were forced into by Hamas, although many pledged to fight on for the return of deceased hostages still in Gaza.
Now, pressure falls on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance the next phases of the agreement.
ALL TWENTY HOSTAGES ARE BACK AND FEELING AS GOOD AS CAN BE EXPECTED. A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The National News Desk’s Elaine Mallon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
