00:01Hey folks, it's going to be quick, because I've got to be downstairs, but thank you very much for being
00:06here.
00:07This morning, the deal that I first put forward last May for the Middle East has finally come to fruition.
00:14The ceasefire has gone to an effect in Gaza, and today we're seeing hostages being released.
00:20Three Israeli women held against their will in the dark tunnels for 470 days.
00:26Four more women will be released in seven days, three additional hostages every seven days thereafter, including at least two
00:32American citizens in this first phase.
00:36We pray for them and their families, for they're going to be a long recovery ahead.
00:41By the 16th day of the deal, talks will begin in the second phase.
00:45This phase includes the release of Israeli soldiers and a permanent end of the war without Hamas in power or
00:53able to threaten Israel.
00:54Hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza as I speak.
00:58They're carrying assistance for civilians who suffered enormously from the war that Hamas started on October 7, 2023, nearly 15
01:07months ago.
01:08Today alone, we anticipate several hundred trucks will enter the Gaza Strip probably as I'm speaking.
01:14And after so much pain, destruction, and loss of life, today the guns in Gaza have gone silent.
01:20This was the deal that I outlined for the world back in May 31st.
01:25Many of you covered it at the time.
01:27I was endorsed overwhelmingly by folks around the world, including the U.N. Security Council.
01:33We unanimously endorsed the deal.
01:35And developed a coordination with Egypt, Qatar, and Israel.
01:41I've worked in foreign policy for decades, and this is one of the toughest negotiations I've been part of.
01:47Many of you who have followed these negotiations will attest that the road to this deal has been not easy
01:53at all and a long road.
01:55But we've reached this point today because of the pressure Israel built on Hamas backed by the United States.
02:01Some said my policy of a firm support for Israel is relentlessly pursuing diplomacy, risk drawing America into a wider
02:09war in the region.
02:10I listened to those voices, many of whom I respected a great deal.
02:13But I concluded abandoning the course I was on would not have led us to the ceasefire we're seeing today.
02:21But instead, it would have risked a wider war in the region that so many feared.
02:26Now the region has been fundamentally transformed.
02:29Hamas' longtime leader, Sinmar, is dead.
02:32Hamas sponsors in the Middle East have been badly weakened by Israel, backed by the United States.
02:39Hezbollah, one of Hamas' biggest backers, was significantly weakened on the battlefield, and its leadership was destroyed.
02:46Even as we worked for Diplomatic Solutions in Lebanon, we provided ongoing assistance in support of Israel's military campaign against
02:53Hezbollah.
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