President Joe Biden, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, officially announced the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas from the White House on Wednesday afternoon just after Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced the deal from Doha.
"It's a very good afternoon because, at long last, I can announce a ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of conflict," Biden said. "That began with [Hamas's] brutal massacre on October the seventh, more than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families, the Israeli people."
There was no other way for this war to end other than a hostage deal, Biden said, adding he's deeply satisfied this day has finally come for the people of Israel and the families waiting in agony and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war.
Biden said the elements of this deal were what he laid out in detail this past May, which was embraced by countries around the world and endorsed overwhelmingly by the UN Security Council.
He explained the deal is structured in three phases. Phase one will last six weeks and includes a full and complete cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women, the elderly, and the wounded.
Biden said Americans will be part of that hostage release in phase one, though the exact detail of "how many people are being held, how many bodies will be returning" will all "be forthcoming."
In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
During phase one, the Palestinians can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, and the surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin.
During the next six weeks, Biden said, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war.
He added there's a "number of details" needed to negotiate from phase one to phase two, but according to an agreement, if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue.
Biden said he's spoken to the leaders of Kuwait and Egypt, who have pledged to make sure negotiations will continue "as long as it takes."
When phase two begins, there will be an exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and all remaining forces will be withdrawn from Gaza, making the temporary ceasefire permanent, he said.
In the third phase, any final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families.
At that point, a major reconstruction plan will begin.
"This is the ceasefire agreement I introduced last spring. Today, Hamas and Israel have agreed to that ceasefire agreement," Biden said, adding the road to this deal "has not been easy."
Biden said after decades of working in foreign policy, this is one of the toughest negotiations he ever experienced.
According to Biden, the deal reached this because of the pressure that Israel built on Hamas, "backed by the United States."
Biden touted how he organized the coalition that came to Israel's defense as Iran launched two missile attacks against the Jewish state and supported Israel's "strong and calibrated response, destroying Iran's air defense, but avoiding an escalatory cycle of an all-out war."
He also boasted that the US organized a coalition of 20 countries to stand up to the Houthis and negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
"All told, these developments in the region, which the United States helped to shape, changed the equation, Biden said. "And so now the terror network that once protected and sustained Hamas is far weaker."
Iran is weaker than it's been in decades, Hezbollah is badly degraded, and Hamas's senior leaders are dead, he continued, noting 1,000's of Hamas fighters are dead.
The people of Gaza can "finally recover and rebuild," he said and can look to a future without Hamas in power.
Biden thanked Harris, Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CIA Director Bill Burns, Middle East advisor Brett McGurk, and US envoy Amos Hochstein for "working relentlessly" to deliver the deal.
"I also know this deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration," Biden said without mentioning President-elect Trump and his incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witcoff by name.
Biden said, "We've been speaking as one team" in the past few days.
"This has been a time of real turmoil in the Middle East, but as I prepare to leave office, our friends are strong, our enemies are weak," Biden said, adding there are "genuine opportunities" for a new future in Lebanon free from the "grip of Hezbollah" and future in Syria "free from the tyranny of Assad."
"And for the Palestinian people, a credible pathway to a state of their own," he said. " And for the region, a future of normalization, integration of Israel and all its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia."
Biden said there's been many difficult days "since Hamas began its terrible war," but after more than 400 days of struggle, "a day of success" has arrived.
When asked by a reporter how much credit he gives the Trump team, who is taking credit for the deal, Biden said it's the exact framework of the deal he proposed in May and that he got the world to endorse it.
Secondly, he said, it was America's support that helped Israel badly wreak havoc on Hamas and its backers, creating the conditions for the deal.
And thirdly, Biden continued, the deal would have to be coordinated with "the incoming team," so Biden told his staff to "coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we're all speaking with the same voice because that's what American presidents do."
Biden offered a wry smile as he walked away from the podium as another reporter asked if he or Trump gets credit for the deal.
"Is that a joke?" he said, turning around to face the reporter before disappearing back into the White House.
Biden will address the nation again tonight during his previously scheduled farewell address.
American hostage families thank Biden, Trump for ceasefire agreement
Families of the seven American hostages remaining in Gaza extended gratitude toward both President Biden and President-elect Trump in response to news of the ceasefire agreement, saying the "tireless collaboration" between Israel, Egypt, Qatar, the US, and other parties was critical in reaching this moment.
“We are deeply grateful that there is finally an agreement between Israel and Hamas to bring our loved ones — [Omer Neutra, Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Itay Chen, Keith Siegel, Gad, and Judi Haggai] — home," the families said in a statement.
Omer, Itay, Gad, and Judi have previously been confirmed deceased.
Hamas released a video on Dec. 1 showing Edan alive, the first proof of life his family received since hostages released in November 2023 reported seeing him alive.
It's unknown at this time if Sagui is alive.
"We have been waiting for 467 days while our family members suffer from life-threatening injuries, abuse, torture, and sexual violence," the families said.
The families said the coming days and weeks will be "just as painful for our families as we, as well as 64 families, have no horizon when we will be united with our family members."
That's why the families are asking all parties to stay committed to every phase of the deal until it is fully implemented and every hostage has been returned.
"We feel hopeful that under President Trump’s leadership, every last hostage will come home," the families said.
The American hostage families, including the family of deceased hostage Hersh Polin Goldberg, whose body was recovered from a tunnel in Gaza in late August, will be attending Trump's inauguration on Monday.
Hostage Families Forum statement
"We, the families of 98 hostages, welcome with overwhelming joy and relief the agreement to bring our loved ones home. We wish to express our profound gratitude to President-elect Trump, President Biden, both administrations, and the international mediators for making this possible," a statement read.
"Since November 2023, we have been anxiously awaiting this moment, and now, after over 460 days of our family members being held in Hamas tunnels, we are closer than ever to reuniting with our loved ones. This is a significant step forward that brings us closer to seeing all hostages return - the living to rehabilitation, and the deceased for proper burial," the statement continued.
"However, deep anxiety and concerns accompany us regarding the possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind. We urgently call for swift arrangements to ensure all phases of the deal are carried out. We will not rest until we see the last hostage back home," the statement concluded.