Biden’s last achievement or Trump’s first success? Both take credit for the Gaza truce

Chijioke Obinna

Biden's last achievement or Trump's first success? Both take credit for the Gaza truce

The ceasefire in Gaza comes 4,669 days later. The war has left more than 46,000 dead due to Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip that followed the attacks of October 7, 2023 in which 1,200 died.

people and 250 were kidnapped. Of those, 98 remain hostages of Hamas.

The agreement reached yesterday for the truce that will begin on Sunday was carried out thanks to the mediation of the governments of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, which have been the mediators for months, before the governments of Israel and Hamas.

After reaching the agreement, the first rivalries have emerged between the outgoing US president, Joe Biden, and the outgoing president, Donald Trump, for taking credit for the agreement. The Biden Administration maintains that the terms of the agreement are based on the proposal that the outgoing president launched last year, while Trump’s entourage defends that the agreement has been reached thanks to his electoral victory.

Later, Biden acknowledged that the two administrations have worked as one to achieve the agreement and this morning, the president said goodbye to office with a speech in which he celebrated that the situation in the Middle East is better than when he arrived at the House. White.

“We have worked as a single team (…) as a single voice, the US, the European Union and the rest of the Western powers have shown satisfaction with the agreement. They see it as the first step towards negotiating a definitive solution for the East. Next,” stated the outgoing president.

Historic collaboration between Biden and Trump

Biden and Trump take credit for having helped reach the truce agreement, but according to senior US officials, one of the elements that has led to reaching this “unprecedented” agreement and “with a lot at stake for everyone,” is the “historic” collaboration between the teams of Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, whose impulse and pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Nentanyahu, without forcing a total change of the initial White House plan, was key.

Trump’s envoy in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, worked closely in recent days with the director of the CIA, Bill Burns, or Brett McGurk, Biden’s envoy for Middle East issues, while the foreign minister’s team Qatar, Mohamed bin Abderrahman, approached positions just five days before the change of tenant in the White House.

“Roles were exchanged. While McGurk was negotiating in Doha, we thought that Steve could have a conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu and he went to do it himself in person (this weekend),” a senior Washington official explained.

Chijioke Obinna

I've been passionate about storytelling and journalism since my early days growing up in Lagos. With a background in political science and years of experience in investigative reporting, I aim to bring nuanced perspectives to pressing global issues. Outside of writing, I enjoy exploring Nigeria’s vibrant cultural scene and mentoring young aspiring journalists.