IDF Reserve Brigadier General. Fifteen months into the Middle East conflict, "two things" have changed about the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, General Amir Avivi said.
"This deal has been under discussion since last May and Hamas is completely opposed to it. Why? There is no real pressure on Hamas," Avivi told Your World on Wednesday. "Israel wants to stop some humanitarian aid, especially some gasoline, but the government won't let us do that. So Israel doesn't have significant leverage over them."
"What has changed are two things," Avive told Fox News. "First, Israel defeated Hezbollah, which could no longer support Hamas. Also, Syria fell. Iran is weaker. But the biggest change is the threat from President Trump."
Asked whether Trump deserves credit for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Biden hesitated: "Is it a joke?"
"Once President Trump threatens them that there's going to be hell if they don't release the hostages... I think they understand that if they don't make a deal now, the chances of getting a good deal for them are going to be very, very low if If anything, they made their own assessment and they tended to do the deal thinking they would maximize what they could get now rather than wait and see what 'hell' means," Avivi said. explain.
Israel Defense Forces troops operate in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. (Office of the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson)
President Joe Biden's White House national security communications adviser John Kirby on Wednesday acknowledged President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as a key figure in brokering the deal.
President-elect Donald Trump Warning to Hamas "Hell will break out" if the hostages are not returned by the time of his inauguration on January 7.
Trump stresses that if hostages are not returned before inauguration, "hell will break out"
The agreement is set to take effect on January 19, the day before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
Avivi expressed uncertainty about the success of an agreement between the two countries and warned that Hamas might try "different tricks to try to deceive Israel in one way or another."
Avivi stressed that this was “just the beginning” and we would have to “wait and see.”
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