Biden says 'the guns in Gaza have gone silent,' aid begins

The Manila Times

Biden says 'the guns in Gaza have gone silent,' aid begins  "Today the guns in Gaza have gone silent," said US President Joe Biden on Sunday, January 19, who welcomed on his last full day in office a truce that had eluded US diplomacy for more than a year.  The truce calls for fighting to stop, aid to be sent into Gaza and 33 of the 98 Israeli and foreign hostages still held there to go free over the six-week first phase in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.  For Hamas, the truce could provide an opportunity to emerge from the shadows after 15 months in hiding. Hamas policemen dressed in blue police uniform swiftly deployed in some areas.  “Today’s ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages is a result of a principled and effective policy that we presided over for months,” Biden said. “And we got here without a wider war in the Middle East.” REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #themanilatimes #worldnews #gaza #ceasefire

Transcript

00:00The deal that I first put forward last May for the Middle East has finally come to fruition.

00:06The ceasefire has gone into effect in Gaza, and today we're seeing hostages being released.

00:11Three Israeli women held against their will in dark tunnels for 470 days.

00:17Four more women will be released in seven days. Three additional hostages every seven days

00:22thereafter, including at least two American citizens in this first phase. By the 16th day

00:28of the deal, talks will begin in the second phase. This phase includes the release of Israeli

00:33soldiers and a permanent end of the war without Hamas in power or able to threaten Israel.

00:41Hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza as I speak. They're carrying assistance for civilians who

00:46suffered enormously from the war that Hamas started on October 7th, 2023, nearly 15 months

00:53ago. Today alone, we anticipate several hundred trucks will enter the Gaza Strip as I'm probably

00:59as I'm speaking. And after so much pain, destruction, loss of life, today the guns

01:04in Gaza have gone silent. I've worked in foreign policy for decades, and this is one of the toughest

01:11negotiations I've been part of. Many of you who follow these negotiations will attest that the

01:16road to this deal has been not easy at all and a long road. But we've reached this point today

01:23because of the pressure Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States.

01:27Some said my policy of affirmed support for Israel was relentlessly pursuing diplomacy,

01:32risk drawing America into a wider war in the region. I listened to those voices, many of whom

01:38I respected a great deal, but I concluded abandoning the course I was on would not have

01:43led us to the ceasefire we're seeing today. But instead, it would have risked a wider war in the

01:49region that so many feared. Just look across the region. In Lebanon, there's an opportunity

01:56for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah. In Syria, a future free from the Assad, the tyranny

02:03of Assad. For the Palestinian people, a credible path to a state of their own. And for the region

02:09and the future normalization and integration of Israel with all its Arab neighbors, including

02:14Saudi Arabia, who I've spoken with. Today's ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages

02:21is a result of a principled and effective policy that we presided over for months.

02:27And we got here without a wider war in the Middle East than many predicted.

02:31And now it falls on the next administration to help implement this deal. I was pleased to have

02:36our team speak as one voice in the final days. It was both necessary and effective and unprecedented.

02:43So as we reflect on the news from Gaza today, we also remember all the victims of this war.

02:50They were mindful, mindful that the pursuit of a lasting peace, while never easy or quick,

02:55must always be our calling. So thank you all for listening. May God bless you all. May God

03:01protect our troops. I'm looking forward to this deal being fully implemented. And I'm sorry,

03:05I'm not going to take any questions now because I'm waiting. There's a whole congregation waiting

03:09for me. And I'm sure the remainder of the day I have an opportunity to speak with you. Thank you

03:13very much. Anything about the condition of the hostages that were released today and the others?

03:17Yes, I've just got a call saying the three are released into Gaza to the

03:26out of the hands of their captors. And they appear to be in good health. But it's early

03:32to tell they're literally being they may be across the border of the Gaza Strip into Israel. Now,

03:38I'm not certain. Thank you.

04:08Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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