President Donald Trump unveiled a high-stakes ceasefire deal Wednesday night that would see Israel release thousands of Palestinian prisoners and pull back from Gaza in exchange for the return of hostages, living and dead — a move that could shake Israeli politics and test Hamas’s ability to comply.
However, there was one caveat from the president that few had anticipated.
“Mr. President, given that there are some tough provisions for Israel in this agreement, are you at all concerned that Bibi Netanyahu may not continue in his post and be deposed?” a reporter asked Trump.
“That Bibi may go a little bit out of whack,” Trump replied as the reporter pressed, “But he may no longer be prime minister when this is over?”
“Look, that’s politics. It could be. I don’t know. I think he’s very popular right now. He’s much more popular today than he was five days ago,” Trump said to laughter in the room.
Under the first phase of the agreement, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for all remaining hostages, both living and dead. Israel will also withdraw its troops from most of Gaza, removing themselves behind a “yellow line” during a 24-hour ceasefire that has already begun.
At the end of the ceasefire, a 72-hour clock will begin, during which Hamas must release all remaining hostages. Only 20 remaining hostages are believed to be alive, along with the 28 who are deceased and their bodies “scattered across Gaza” according to negotiators.
Fox News noted it remains unclear if Hamas will be able to adhere to this timeframe after it flagged over the weekend the improbability that it will be able to quickly locate all deceased bodies, some of which are allegedly buried under rubble.
Jerusalem will also authorize the release of some 1,700 Gazans arrested after the October 2023 attacks, along with roughly 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, under the first phase of the plan presented by President Trump late last month.
Trump announced the deal on Wednesday night, hailing assistance from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
