The phase one of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchange deal has held through multiple rounds of captive releases. US National Security Advisor Mike Walz, after six Israelis were recently freed on Saturday, has said it was Hamas' fear of Trump that made this possible.
"Hamas is listening to the president ... 29 hostages are alive today and reunited with their families because the whole world listened when President Trump said there would be all hell to pay after the Biden administration couldn't get this done for 15 months," Waltz told "Fox & Friends" on Monday.
The timeline of the deal seems to back this assessment - that indeed it was anticipation the Trump presidency would push the deal over the line. That deal had been agreed to on January 19, 2025 - literally the day before Trump was inaugurated.
"The needle we are trying to thread now is getting all our hostages out. At the same time though, Hamas will not rule Gaza. Period," Walz continued in his comments. "They have a couple of off-ramps that we put on the table, but Hamas will not rule Gaza. They will not cause another Oct. 7. And we will work with Israel to make sure that doesn't happen."
Both sides have lately warned the ceasefire's collapse could be imminent, especially given that Hamas has released nearly all the hostages on a stage and 'graduation' of sorts complete with propaganda posters denouncing Netanyahu and 'Zionist terrorism'...
"Israel will not overlook the inhumane, degrading ceremonies that humiliate our hostages for propaganda," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said at a press briefing.
Israel has delayed release of all Palestinian prisoners agreed to, but hundreds have been transferred, amid Palestinians celebrations especially in the West Bank.
At the same time, Israeli forces have ramped up West Bank operations, which has included the escalation of sending tanks into some refugee camps. This comes after several attempted bus bombings over the weekend.
Spokesman for Hamas' political bureau Basem Naim days ago described, "Unfortunately, Netanyahu and his government have been rejecting to engage with the second phase while only one week is left from the first phase. We believe that again, these are dirty games from the right-wing government to sabotage and undermine the deal and to send a message of willingness to go back to war."
It's anything but certain whether the truce will hold into phase two and phase three, the details of which have yet to be fully defined or publicized.
