U.S. President Joe Biden reacted from the White House to the public announcement of a Israel-Hamas ceasefire immediately after fellow mediator Qatar announced a deal had been reached.
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00:00Good afternoon. It's a very good afternoon because at long last I can
00:08announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and
00:13Hamas. More than 15 months of conflict began with Hezbollah's brutal massacre
00:20on October the 7th. More than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their
00:25families, the Israeli people. More than 15 months of suffering by the innocent
00:31people of Gaza. Fighting in Gaza will stop and soon the hostages will return home to
00:38their families. The elements of this deal are what I laid out in detail this past
00:44May, which was embraced by countries around the world and endorsed
00:50overwhelmingly by the UN Security Council. The deal is structured in three
00:57phases. Phase one will last six weeks. It includes a full and complete ceasefire,
01:03withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the
01:10release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and
01:15the wounded. And I'm proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage
01:19release in phase one as well. And the Vice President and I cannot wait to
01:25welcome them home. I'd also note this deal was developed and negotiated under
01:31my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the
01:36next administration. In these past few days we've been speaking as one team.
01:42This has been time of real turmoil in the Middle East, but as I prepare to
01:47leave office, our friends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there's a genuine
01:53opportunities for a new future. You know, during the next six weeks, Israel will
01:58negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end
02:04of the war. Let me say it again, a permanent end of the war. There are a
02:08number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two, but the plan
02:14says if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as
02:20long as the negotiations continue. I've spoken to the Emir of Kuwait and the
02:27President of Egypt, and we have pledged to make sure the negotiation will keep
02:32moving forward for as long as it takes. Then, when phase two begins, there will
02:40be an exchange for release of the remaining living hostages, including male
02:45soldiers, and all remaining Israeli forces will be withdrawn from Gaza, and
02:50the temporary ceasefire will become permanent. And finally, phase three, any
02:57final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their
03:01families, and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin. This is
03:09the ceasefire agreement I introduced last spring. Today, Hamas and Israel have
03:15agreed to that ceasefire agreement, and the whole ending the war.