Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) said President-elect Trump hopes to reach a ceasefire and hostage agreement before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, Axios reported on friday.
“Trump is more determined than ever to free the hostages and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage trade. He wants it to happen now,” Graham told Axios. spoke.
“I want the people of Israel and the region to know that President Trump is focused on the hostage crisis. He wants the killings to stop and the fighting to end,” the senator added.
Graham's comments came after he returned from his second trip to the Middle East this month and days after President Biden announced a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Trump's transition team was briefed on the Lebanese ceasefire agreement, which follows nearly 14 months of intensive rocket fire, airstrikes and ground invasions by Israel into southern Lebanon.
Mr. Biden's chief negotiator on the ceasefire, Amos Hochstein, held two meetings with President Trump's national security team to discuss who is covered by the deal announced Tuesday and the U.S. commitments, including monitoring its implementation. Led the briefing session.
President Trump has said Israel needs to end the war quickly, but as with the Russia-Ukraine war, he has offered few specifics about his plans for ending the conflict.
“What I've said very clearly is, let's end this, let's go back to peace and stop killing people,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt in April. told. End it quickly, end it quickly, because we have to, you have to get back to normalcy and peace. ”
The Biden administration has made various efforts to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, claiming last month's death of Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar showed a path to ending the fighting.
President Trump has criticized Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of obstructing international talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire agreement in exchange for Hamas's release of about 100 hostages from the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. He is widely seen as a supporter of his American side.
Graham also told Axios that Trump needs to reach a deal on Gaza before turning to other important foreign policy focuses, such as a regional alliance against Iran.
