President Biden marks long-awaited ceasefire and hostage agreement Israel and Hamas spoke on Sunday as the deal officially came into effect, celebrating that it had "finally come to fruition."

Biden said hundreds of trucks carrying aid to civilians were entering Gaza as he spoke, saying "after so much pain, destruction and loss of life, the guns in Gaza have fallen silent today."

"Three Israeli women were held against their will in dark tunnels for 470 days," Biden said of the three female hostages released Sunday morning and placed in the custody of the Red Cross, noting four other women Will be released in 2019. 7 days, and every seven days thereafter there will be three more hostages, including at least two U.S. citizens.

The pause in fighting, the second since a Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, comes after pressure from the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration. The hostages freed on Sunday are the first of 33 that Hamas expects to release in the first phase of the deal.

"Today's ceasefire and hostage releases in Gaza are the result of a principled and effective policy that we have presided over for months," Biden said. "We got here without what many predicted would happen more broadly in the Middle East. war. Now it’s up to the next administration to help implement this deal.”

mr biden announced the deal On Wednesday, he outlined that Americans would be among the hostages released in the first phase of the deal, which he said would last six weeks, following a week of intense negotiations brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt.

Speaking from the White House on Wednesday afternoon, the president said there was "no other way to end this war than a hostage agreement," noting that the negotiations were among the "toughest" he had ever experienced and saying he was "deeply "Satisfied" "The deal has finally come true.

"We have been through many difficult days since Hamas began its horrific war," Biden said Wednesday. "We have encountered difficulties and setbacks, but we have not given up. After more than 400 days of struggle, we finally have a successful day."

Biden is visiting Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday for his final full day in office to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the day on Monday when President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in for the 47th serve as president. .