US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday (Jan 16) said that the hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas better be finalised before he assumes office on Monday (Jan 20).
During a podcast interview with Dan Bongino, Trump claimed that his involvement was crucial for the negotiation, and said: "We changed the course of it".
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'It better be done'
Trump claimed that they changed the course of the negotiations and "we changed it fast".
He also remarked that "frankly" the deal needs "better be done before I take the oath of office" and said that "we shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done."
The Republican also slammed his political rival Democrat President Joe Biden and claimed that Biden did nothing for the deal.
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"I'm not looking for credit. I want to get these people out...We've got to get them out," he said.
He likened the situation to the Iran hostage crisis, where 52 US hostages were held captive by Iran for 444 days during the late Jimmy Carter's presidency. They were freed after his successor Ronald Reagan took over the office.
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The Israeli hostages have been in Hamas captivity for 470 days. "For three years they’ve lived like in hell," said Trump, adding "We gotta get them out, and it’ll be great when we do."
When will the Gaza truce start?
The Gaza truce is expected to begin Sunday, however, this depends on Israeli government approval which is still pending, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming that a "last-minute crisis" was holding the approval.
As per reports, the Israel security cabinet is set to meet Friday (Jan 17) after final details.
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If approved by Israel's cabinet, the ceasefire deal would take effect Sunday. The United States has said that it was "confident" that the truce will happen.
The deal will involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.
(With inputs from agencies)