See Biden’s reaction when reporter asks him if Trump should get credit for Gaza ceasefire

That is the president you see there with the Vice president and the Secretary of State. Let's listen. Good afternoon.

It's a very good afternoon because at long last, I can announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas. More than 15 months of conflict. I began with Hezbollah's brutal massacre on October the 7th.

More than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families, the Israeli people, more than 15 months of suffering by the innocent people of Gaza. Fighting in Gaza will stop. And soon the hostages return home to their families.

The elements of this deal, for what I laid out in detail this past May, which was embraced by countries around the world and endorsed overwhelmingly by the U. N. Security Council.

The deal is structured in three phases. Phase one will last six weeks and includes a full and complete cease fire. Withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza and and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded.

And I'm proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release and phase one as well. And the vice president and I cannot wait to welcome them home. In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

And during phase one, the Palestinians can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza. And a surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin. And the innocent people can have a greater access to these vital supplies.

You know, during the next six weeks, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war. I may say again, a permanent end of the war. There are a number of details to negotiate the move from phase one to phase two, but the plan says if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the cease fire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.

I spoken to the mayor of Kuwait and the president of Egypt, and we have pledged to make sure the negotiations will keep moving forward for as long as it takes. Then, when phase two begins, there will be an exchange for release of the remaining living hostages, including male soldiers. And all remaining Israeli forces will be withdrawn from Gaza and the temporary ceasefire will become permanent.

And finally, phase three. Any final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families, and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin this. This is the cease fire agreement I introduced last spring.

Today, Hamas and Israel have agreed to that cease fire agreement and the whole ending the war. You know, those of you who have followed the negotiations can attest the road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades.

This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced. I've reached this point because because of the pressure that Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States, Hamas's longtime leader, Sinwar, was killed. Hamas, his strongest supporter.

Iran launched attacks in Israel, and those attacks failed after my administration organized a coalition of nations to stop them. And after I ordered the U. S.

ships and planes to come to the fence, we also shape Israel's strong and calibrated response, destroying Iran's air defenses but avoiding this cycle of an all out war. The United States also organized a coalition of 20 countries to stand up to attacks by the Houthis, including their missile attacks on Israel. Then Hezbollah, another of Hamas's strongest backers, was significantly weakened on the battlefield, and its leadership was destroyed.

With our support, Israel Israel negotiated a ceasefire with them. And after that, Lebanon finally elected a new president who's not who's not beholden to Hezbollah and who can begin a new chapter for the Lebanese people. All told, these developments in the region which the United States helped to shape, change the equation.

And so now the terror networks are once protected and sustained. Hamas is far weaker. Iran is weaker.

Iran is weaker than it has been in decades. Hezbollah is badly degraded. And after more than 15 months of war, Hamas's senior leaders are dead.

Thousands of mass fighters are dead, and the military formations have been destroyed with nowhere to turn. MOS finally agreed to releasing hostages. You know, there was no other way for this war to end.

That was a hostage deal. And I'm deeply satisfied this day has come. Finally come.

For the sake of 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. The Palestinian people have gone through hell. Too many innocent people have died.

Too many communities have been destroyed. And this deal? The people of Gaza can finally recover and rebuild.

They can look to a future without Hamas in power. No. The Bible says blessed are the peacemakers.

Many peacemakers shall make this happen, including an extraordinary team of American diplomats who have worked nonstop for months to get this done. Secretary Blinken led the effort. Secretary Jake Sullivan did not.

And national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Bill Burns, John Finer, Brett McGurk, almost. Hoxton and the vice president worked relentlessly as we work to deliver this deal. I'd also note this deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration.

And these past few days, we've been speaking as one team. 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, and there's a genuine opportunities for a new future in Lebanon. There's an opportunity for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah in Syria, a future free from the tyranny of Assad. And for the Palestinian people, a credible, credible pathway to a state of their own and for the region, a future of normalization and integration of Israel and all its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.

At the G20 in Delhi on September 23rd, I rallied key countries behind a vision of an economic corridor from India across the Middle East to Europe. That vision can now become a reality. There are risk as well, including ISIS in Iran, even in a badly weakened state.

But but we're handing off them to the next team, a real opportunity for a brighter future for the Middle East. I hope they will take it. Let me close with this.

I have my friend for years in the United States Senate, former Senator George Mitchell, who did so much to forge peace in Northern Ireland, once said to about diplomacy, he said it is a 700 days of failure and one day success, 700 days of failure, one day success. Well, we've had many difficult days since Hamas began this terrible war. We've encountered roadblocks and setbacks.

We've not given up. And now, after more than 4400 days of struggle a day, successes arrived. God bless all the hostages and their families.

May God protect the troops of all those who work for peace. Because a president. God, for now, as you assume, these limitations of Israel will be the hands of the next administration, and basically they will shape the future.

So how do you see this future? And also how much credit you give to the Trump team for this deal. Trump is already taking credit for.

Well, you know. This is the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May. Exact.

And, and we got the world to endorse it. Secondly, it's America's support for Israel that help them, badly weaken Hamas and his backers and, create the conditions for this to. And thirdly, under this deal would have to be implemented by the next team.

So, I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we're all speaking with the same voice, because that's what American presidents to. Thank you know, hold me in the, how many Americans will be released when the hostages are being released? All the exact detail of how many people are being held, how many bodies will be returned to the US will all be forthcoming.

All of it. Oh, thank you. This meeting will hold.

I'm confident. Thank you. Folks, credit for this, Mr President.

You or Trump? Is that a joke? Oh thank you.