On November 5th, 2024, President Donald J. Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris for President of The United States. Since his overwhelming victory, Trump has been extremely critical of the Biden-Harris' administration's handling of the war in the Gaza Strip. A main difference between their administrations is that Biden and Harris' main goal is to return the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Trump's main goal is to return the hostages, but also to destroy Hamas, the governing force within the Gaza Strip. The Hamas charter consists of the elimination of the Israel, and every person who refuses to convert to Islam in the world, the Jewish people specifically highlighted numerous times. It is not a secret that Trump is a stark supporter of Israel, so he has been threatening Hamas with "Hell to pay" if they do not reach a hostage deal before he steps into office. The inference that is easy to make is that he is threatening with more military and economic aid to Israel. However, it's important to note that he could be referring to military intervention.
Due to pressure from the Trump Administration, Hamas is finally seeking a deal for a ceasefire. The logic behind that is simple: if they reach a deal under Biden, he will allow them to exist, and if they wait, Trump will not stop until they are all killed. The terms of the ceasefire, as of January 17th, is more of a hostage deal. There will be a ceasefire for 42 days in Gaza, and Hamas will return several hostages, likely prioritizing Americans. In exchange for each hostage, Israel releases 30 convicted Palestinian terrorists, almost all convicted in court of violent crimes, most of which were related to murder or mass murder. However for each hostage who also happened to be an Israeli Defense Soldier, Israel will release 50 violent criminals. Israeli Troops will also leave to the outskirts of Gaza so that the civilians of Gaza caught in the war's crossfire will finally return to their homes. However, the urgent matter after that is the truly pressing question: who will govern Gaza after the ceasefire? It goes without saying that Hamas will not independently step down, but it's likely that Israel will not leave them in power. If the Biden Administration can convince them otherwise before Trump steps into the White House, the deal would succeed. However, in the likely event that they cannot, it will be left to Trump. If there's not a complete ceasefire and hostage return by January 20th, 2025, Trump is said to support going back into Gaza and "finishing the job".
The recent controversy is the question of credit. Biden, when asked who should receive credit for the deal, assumed that it was a joke. The reason that it's unclear who receives credit is because the deal clearly only went through because of the pressure from Trump's Administration, it technically began under Biden's last days. However, the pettiness of who gets credit is foolish and irrelevant. What matters most is that a ceasefire is finally coming, and the hostages will soon be home, with their families, and even if they are bodies, the families will finally have closure after 15 months. Always remember that an informed citizenry is vital for maintaining a healthy democracy, and awareness of national and international events helps uncover injustices.
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