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Biden is getting hostages out of Gaza. Can Trump finally end the war?

The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is a big step. Now it’s the Trump administration’s turn.

By MAX BOOT

Washington Post
January 15, 2025

President Jimmy Carter spent his last hours in office on Jan. 20, 1981, negotiating the release of 52 American hostages held in Iran, but they did not head home until shortly after Ronald Reagan had been inaugurated. In similar fashion, President Joe Biden and his aides have spent their last days in office negotiating the release of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip — and most of those hostages will not come home until after Biden has left the White House.

On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas finally agreed on a complex, long-delayed deal that will result in at least a temporary ceasefire in Gaza after 466 days of war. Assuming that the Israeli cabinet approves, the first stage of the deal will see 33 Israeli hostages — an unknown number of whom are still alive — released in return for a still-to-be-determined number of Palestinian militants held in Israeli prisons.