The cooperation between the two administrations was “almost unprecedented,” a senior Biden administration official told CNN, underscoring a rare alignment of interests following Trump's 2024 election victory.
Biden when asked who deserved the credit for the deal
Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden’s longtime Middle East negotiator, had been stationed in Doha for weeks pushing for an agreement. He was joined in recent days by Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, who focused on ensuring the deal was finalized before Trump’s inauguration.
The two negotiators split responsibilities, with McGurk handling the deal’s technical details, while Witkoff emphasized Trump’s push for a completed deal. Notably, Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, with McGurk joining by phone.
Once the agreement was announced, both Biden and Trump claimed credit, reflecting the ongoing tensions between the two. However, the deal ultimately allows both men to claim victory, providing Biden with a much-needed positive news story as he prepares to leave office with his lowest approval ratings, and boosting Trump’s standing ahead of his second inauguration.
The reality of the deal’s origins is nuanced. Biden administration officials say momentum began before the election, following a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. The final agreement with Hamas closely mirrored a proposal Biden had put forward in May but was unable to finalize.
Speaking earlier this month at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Witkoff said Biden’s team was the “tip of the spear” in the talks.
“No one has pride of authorship. We are totally outcome-oriented. Let’s get them home,” Witkoff, a former real estate investor, said.
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Even Biden officials acknowledged that Trump’s election victory spurred the deal’s finalization after months of stalled talks. Trump, monitoring developments from Florida, quickly declared the agreement was only possible because of his win.
“This EPIC cease-fire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November,” Trump wrote on social media. Biden was more measured in his response.
“It’s a very good afternoon,” he said Wednesday from the White House Cross Hall, where members of the incoming Trump team were meeting with Biden’s officials.
Describing the deal’s negotiations as “one of the toughest” he had ever faced, Biden noted that his team had been “speaking as one” with Trump’s team.
Asked who deserved credit for the deal, Biden shot back: “Is that a joke?” before walking away.
By the final stretch of the 2024 presidential campaign, few within the White House believed a deal could be reached before the election results were known. Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, were seen as waiting to assess which U.S. president they would be working with.
Despite hours of tense phone calls between the White House and Netanyahu’s office, progress was limited. Even the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar failed to prompt an agreement. Trump’s victory, seen by many as Netanyahu’s preferred outcome, led some in Biden’s team to seize a new opportunity.
During a post-election meeting at the Oval Office, Biden asked Trump to work with his team to secure the release of the hostages.
“We’re prepared to work with the incoming team in common cause on a bipartisan basis to do everything in our collective American power to secure the release of the hostages, both living and deceased,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in the days following the election.
The timing of the agreement benefited both men. Trump’s advisers believed a deal reached before he took office would allow him to take credit for it while relieving him of the issue as he focused on his second term’s priorities.
For Biden, securing a hostage deal after years of effort would validate the political capital spent on the issue. With both leaders’ support, the final push was on.
A key hurdle in the final months was Hamas’ refusal to disclose the number or identity of hostages it would release. U.S. officials made clear no deal could be struck without full transparency. By late December, Hamas agreed to provide the list, pushing talks into high gear.
McGurk remained in Doha, working to finalize the complex details, including the timing of prisoner releases. Negotiations continued into the early hours, with American, Israeli, Qatari, Egyptian and Hamas officials working to overcome last-minute demands.
As the agreement neared reality, Netanyahu called both Trump and Biden to thank them. His first call was to Trump to arrange a meeting in Washington, followed by a call to Biden to express his gratitude, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.