This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Even Biden administration officials are admitting that it took President-elect Donald Trump wading into Israel-Hamas negotiations to close the deal and force a hostage release and cease-fire after 15 months of war, reported the New York Post.
Multiple insiders and officials in both Israel and the U.S. told The Post that it was Trump's impending inauguration – combined with the efforts of his Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who finally solved a problem which had proved intractable for President Biden and his team.
A source with Trump's transition team described the conversation last weekend between longtime Trump pal Witkoff and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "straightforward, no phony platitudes and very direct."
Another official told Reuters: "Witkoff was able to pressure Netanyahu into accepting the deal and moving quickly. It's that conversation that shifted everything into motion."
Waltz: U.S. will back Israeli action in Gaza if Hamas breaks ceasefire
Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., said on Wednesday the Trump administration will support renewed Israeli military action against Hamas in Gaza if the terrorist group violates the terms of the ceasefire, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
"We've made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of Israel to hear me on this – if they need to go back in, we're with them. If Hamas doesn't live up to the terms of this agreement, we are with them," the Republican representative from Florida's 6th District, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped for the NSA role in November, told Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
"Hamas is not going to continue as a military entity and it certainly is not going to govern Gaza," Waltz stressed.
Report: Two dual citizen U.S.-Israeli hostages thought to be released Sunday in first phase of deal
Five Israeli female soldiers will be released from Gaza on Sunday, coinciding with the first day of a planned ceasefire – according to a report by KAN news, a senior U.S. official announced Wednesday night.
The exchange will include Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, reported the Jerusalem Post.
"I am disappointed that this agreement does not talk about all the hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a way that shows when my son will be released from captivity," Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Israel rebuffs Erdogan over Syria warning
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel must withdraw its forces from Syria or it will cause "unfavorable outcomes for everyone," according to the Times of Israel.
