Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President-elect Trump's role in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
“President Trump has been involved in the hostage release mission from the moment he was elected. He spoke with me on Wednesday night,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday.
“He welcomed the agreement and rightly emphasized that the first step of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. That's what he said, a 'temporary ceasefire.'”
The former president took credit for the deal's success and praised his election victory as having had a huge impact. Trump will take over negotiations from the Biden administration on Monday, as the two men have quarreled over credit for the deal.
The ceasefire and hostage agreement go into effect on Sunday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu described the deal as a provisional short-term agreement as negotiations on the second phase are still underway.
“Both President Trump and President Biden fully support Israel's right to return to combat if it concludes that phase two negotiations are ineffective. We are very grateful for this. ” said the Israeli leader.
“I also very much appreciate President Trump's decision to lift remaining restrictions on the provision of critical arms and ammunition to the State of Israel,” he continued.
Israel has been criticized for heavy airstrikes in the Gaza Strip that have killed tens of thousands of people. But Prime Minister Netanyahu said his country's actions were justified and solidified its international defense standing.
“Dear people of Israel, the war of salvation required us to make tough decisions, but it is these decisions that will test our leadership. These were decisions that took into consideration the overall interests of our nation and our security. It's a shame that I can't tell you all about it in detail,” he said.
“On October 7th, we suffered a severe blow. We experienced great pain. Together, we repulsed the enemy and achieved great results. Friends and enemies alike. The whole world is impressed by these historic achievements.”
