Democrats And Republicans Both Taking Credit As Cease-fire Begins

With just one day left in Joe Biden's presidency and Israeli hostages finally starting to trickle out of Gaza, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer wants to make sure his boss gets credit for the pause in fighting.

"This deal is really the deal that he laid out back in May," Finer told Jonathan Karl on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

"The attention of the world, of the press, of maybe even other governments around the world had moved on to other issues," Finer said. "But President Biden, literally just about every day would call Jake Sullivan or me or others on our team and ask for an update on the deal, what he could do to help push things forward, who he could deploy to the region, who he could call on the phone."

Three Israeli hostages were released Sunday. Aid trucks have also begun flowing through Gaza. The deal tees off an initial six-week cease-fire, during which 33 Israeli hostages (some of them deceased) and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are set to be released. Negotiations on a longer-term agreement will take place in the coming weeks.

Biden's team had been working on the cease-fire for months with Qatar and Egypt.

"It never escaped his attention," Finer said. "And it really was his persistence that ultimately led to the day that we're going to have today and the opportunity for a better future in the region that this unlocks."

And while both sides may be squabbling over who gets credit for the pact, Biden's team worked closely on the negotiations with members of the incoming administration. Some in the international community say Trump was the closer.

"I think that'll be a question that historians will have to answer moving forward," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Kristen Welker on Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Right now we should be focused on making sure that phase one of this plan is fully implemented and that we can move to phase two and phase three as it relates to the reconstruction of Gaza, making sure that Hamas is completely and totally eradicated and that there's a path toward a just and lasting peace.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz said Trump deserved much of the credit for getting the deal across the finish line and that he is likely to make even more progress in the future.

"Just a month ago, to get where we are now seemed impossible," he told host Dana Bash. "I mean, this this hostage deal, this cease-fire was stuck. Now, for, what, 15 months, 14 months? And just within a month we're there. President Trump can bring all sides together uniquely."

When asked by Bash what it was that Trump did to get the deal finished, Waltz said it was Trump's rhetoric.

"The assurances to Hamas in terms of all hell to pay," Waltz said, adding: "And the assurances to our Israeli partners were: If Hamas backs out of this deal, if Hamas doesn't abide by this deal in any way, we will be with them."

House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed that sentiment.

"I'm not going to forecast that action," Johnson told Welker on Sunday. "But I will tell you, President Trump is coming back to restore peace through strength. And that's what the American people voted for and that's what our allies around the world are counting on."