Biden: ‘Today the Guns in Gaza Have Gone Silent’

“The deal that I first put forward last May for the Middle East has finally come to fruition… Today the guns in Gaza have gone silent,” President Joe Biden said Sunday, announcing the commencement of the ceasefire in Gaza and celebrating the release of three Israeli hostages. Dozens more hostages are slated for release in the coming days per the terms of the deal.

The Israeli government identified the freed hostages as Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, and the Israeli military confirmed the three women are in Israeli custody and en route back home. Biden said the hostages “appear to be in good health.”

In remarks delivered in Charleston, South Carolina, Biden announced that humanitarian assistance has begun to enter Gaza. “Hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza as I speak,” he said.

Israeli inspections had been preventing much aid from crossing into Gaza, aid groups have said, although the Israeli government has blamed the delays on distribution issues in Gaza. The ceasefire deal will allow 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the strip each day.

Many Gazans, including thousands of children, are malnourished and lack adequate shelter due to the conflict. According to UNICEF, almost the entire population of Gaza — approximately 2.1 million people — faces food insecurity.

Palestinian health officials have recently said that more than 46,000 people have been killed in the war. A recent peer-reviewed study in The Lancet estimated that 64,260 people in Gaza died from traumatic injuries in the first nine months of the 15 month conflict. The researchers said that approximately 59.1 percent of those killed were women, children and people over the age of 65.

The United States provided weapons and munitions to Israel throughout the conflict as Netanyahu refused multiple calls for a ceasefire since Oct. 7, 2023. Biden called the ceasefire talks “one of the toughest negotiations I’ve been a part of” but celebrated progress in the region.

“Iran is in the weakest position in decades… In Lebanon there’s an opportunity for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah,” he said. “In Syria, a future free from the tyranny of [former dictator Bashar al-] Assad. For the Palestinian people, a credible path to a state of their own. For the region and the future of normalization, an integration of Israel with all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.”

President-elect Donald Trump has attempted to take credit for orchestrating the ceasefire, but when asked about Trump’s claims, Biden responded Friday by saying, “Is that a joke?”

Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly considering visiting the Gaza Strip to help ensure the ceasefire continues.

The conflict has left Gaza devastated in the wake of genocidal acts, war crimes and intentional famine.