Trump wants Gaza ceasefire deal before inauguration - Senator Graham

This week, the senator visited Israel and met with top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following the visit, Graham noted that Trump wants to see a hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip before he returns to the White House.

"I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end," said the senator.

He also expressed hope that President Trump and the administration of Joe Biden will work together during the transition period to free the hostages and achieve a ceasefire.

Additionally, Graham responded to a statement by Israel's far-right Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who suggested that Trump's victory in the election would encourage what he calls voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza, aiming for half of the 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip to leave within two years.

"I think he should talk to Trump and hear what he wants. If you haven't spoken to him, I wouldn't put words in his mouth," the senator noted.

According to the Axios, during his recent visit to the Middle East, Graham also met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. During their conversation, the senator touched on the topic of normalizing relations with Israel, which, according to him, should include a Palestinian component.

"The best insurance policy against Hamas is not an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza but a reform in the Palestinian society. The only ones who can do that are the Arab countries," Graham said.

Hostage release agreement

During the invasion of Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Hamas militants took 250 Israeli civilians and military personnel hostage.

At the end of October this year, Egypt proposed a preliminary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to secure the release of four hostages.

Later, CIA Director William Burns discussed a new ceasefire agreement and hostage release framework with representatives from Israel and Qatar.

However, Hamas militants rejected Egypt's proposal.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia is seeking to normalize relations with Israel, even going so far as to abandon a defense agreement with the US in pursuit of this goal.