STORY: :: Biden says 'the guns in Gaza have gone silent' as a
ceasefire begins and three Israeli hostages are released
:: January 19, 2025
"The deal that I first put forward last May for the Middle East has finally come to fruition. The ceasefire has gone in effect in Gaza and today, we're seeing hostages being released. Three Israeli women held against their will in the dark tunnels for 470 days. Four more women will be released in seven days. Three additional hostages every seven days thereafter, including at least two American citizens in this first phase."
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"Today alone, we anticipate several hundred trucks will enter the Gaza Strip, as I'm, probably as I'm speaking, and after so much pain, destruction, loss of life. Today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent."
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"So as we reflect on the news from Gaza today, we also remember all the victims of this war. We were, were mindful, mindful that the pursuit of a lasting peace while never easy or quick, must always be our calling."
The truce calls for fighting to stop, aid to be sent into Gaza and 33 of the 98 Israeli and foreign hostages still held there to go free over the six-week first phase in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
"Today's ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages is a result of a principled and effective policy that we presided over for months," Biden said. "And we got here without a wider war in the Middle East."