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How the Trump Administration Sealed the Gaza Ceasefire Deal
https://time.com/7325156/trump-gaza-ceasefire-deal/
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onald Trump has always believed the art of the deal could solve anything.
It was his creed in business, then in politics: the conviction that every conflict, no matter how intractable, can be negotiated into submission. So when he set his sights on one of his trickiest second-term goals—ending the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas—he didn't turn to diplomats or generals. He enlisted two men who spoke his language: Steve Witkoff, a fellow real-estate developer turned special envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and the family's bridge to the Middle East.
After painstaking efforts, Witkoff and Kushner emerged with the framework of an accord that promises, at least for now, to quiet one of the world's most destabilizing conflicts. Under the agreement, accepted by both parties this week, Hamas will return all living hostages—believed to be around 20—in exchange for roughly 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza. The bodies of the dead hostages held by Hamas will follow. In return, Israel will allow a surge of humanitarian aid into the ravaged coastal enclave. A ceasefire has already taken effect, and Israeli forces have withdrawn from parts of Gaza. With a fragile but historic peace within sight, Trump is expected to travel to the region on Sunday night to see the agreement through, White House officials said. If all goes according to plan, the President will participate in a signing ceremony on Monday.
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