Reflecting on the newly announced ceasefire deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), who is set to become White House national security adviser under incoming President Donald Trump, has vowed that the Trump administration will support Israel renewing military operations in Gaza if Hamas launches more attacks against the Jewish state and violates the agreement.

While speaking to Fox News host Bret Baier on Wednesday evening, Waltz was pressed on whether he believes Hamas will eventually reassemble its military forces in Gaza after the war ends. Waltz batted down any concerns that the ceasefire agreement would lead to a resurgence of Hamas-induced violence in Gaza.

“We’ve made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of Israel to hear me on this: If they need to go back in, we’re with them. If Hamas doesn’t live up to the terms of this agreement, we are with them,” Waltz said. “Hamas is not going to continue as a military entity, and it is certainly not going to govern Gaza.”

Waltz suggested that terrorist groups in the Middle East are fearful of the incoming White House, pointing to the Trump administration’s successful assassination of former top Iranian military commander Qasem Solemani during his first term in 2020.

On Wednesday, negotiators reached a deal to implement a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, potentially ending 15 months of war sparked by the terrorist group’s invasion of the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023. During the onslaught, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages to Gaza.

The agreement outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Hostages taken by Hamas would be freed in exchange for many more Palestinian prisoners who have been detained in Israel largely for involvement terrorist activities.

Phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 of the hostages in Gaza, including all women, children, and men over 50.

Some 98 hostages are still in captivity in Gaza, and at least a third of them are believed to be dead.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November,” Trump wrote on social media. 

The deal would also allow for a surge of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, providing residents with much-needed reprieve. Approximately 600 trucks of humanitarian aid would enter Gaza on a daily basis following the finalization of the ceasefire deal. 

However, despite widespread celebration over the breakthrough in ceasefire negotiations, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the ceasefire agreement. 

“Hamas is reneging on the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that is preventing an agreement,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”

Later on Thursday, however, Israeli officials said the last obstacles to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal had been ironed out and Israel’s security cabinet was set to approve it on Friday. The agreement is supposed to go into effect on Sunday.

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Jewish and pro-Israel organizations reacted to the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday to halt fighting in Gaza, expressing both joy that hostages will be released and concern that it could leave Hamas in power and release thousands of terrorists from Israeli jails.

The deal comes after 15 months of fighting between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization, which rules the Gaza Strip. The war started when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages during its invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In response, Israel launched a military campaign aimed at returning the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza.

While there have been final obstacles to be ironed out, Israeli officials said on Thursday that the ceasefire and hostage-release deal will be implemented this weekend.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) wrote in a statement that it “welcomes the first stage of an agreement that will facilitate the release of 33 of the remaining hostages brutally abducted from Israel during Hamas’ attack.”

“While we await the final announcement from the Israeli government, AJC is grateful to the Biden administration, the incoming Trump Administration, and other global partners for working together to secure the first stage of the agreement,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “We cannot wait to see the first hostages come home to their families, but the critical work to free every hostage — regardless of age, gender, or nationality — must continue. The international community must persist in its efforts to ensure that every hostage is reunited with their loved ones.”

Both the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) celebrated the news, although the former attributed the agreement to US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and the latter gave credit to incoming US President Donald Trump, a Republican who is set to be inaugurated on Monday.

“Since Oct. 7, 2023, we have shared in the anguish of the hostage families as they awaited the return of their loved ones held in Gaza by Hamas,” JDCA’s chief executive, Halie Soifer, and chair, Susie Stern, said in a statement. “Today, we are relieved and hopeful that the hostages will soon be reunited with their loved ones, and … we also stand with the families whose loved ones are still being held in Gaza, mourn those lost at the hands of Hamas, and will not rest until every hostage is returned.”

Soifer and Stern continued, writing, “We thank President Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris, and their team for their determined and enduring leadership and support of Israel and for their commitment to ensuring the hostages’ release.” They also urged the incoming Trump administration to “follow through on the measurable progress made by President Biden to end the war in Gaza and ensure that all parties honor their commitments.”

Meanwhile, the RJC said it “cautiously welcomes news that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas that will bring the release of hostages.”

It explained, “The excruciatingly difficult calculations for Israel around getting the hostages back, releasing terrorist prisoners, and other potential details of a ceasefire agreement are matters best left to the Israeli government.”

RCJ thanked “President-elect Donald Trump and his team for helping to move this process forward and for their unwavering support for Israel’s security” and argued that Trump’s promise there will be “hell to pay” if Hamas does not release the hostages by his inauguration “clearly had a significant impact on closing the gaps to reach this deal.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) wrote in a statement that it welcomes “the announcement of the deal to release the hostages who have been brutally held captive by Hamas in violation of both international law and basic humanity.”

“We are grateful these hostages are coming home, yet it is unconscionable that all those held by the terrorists have not yet been released, including US citizens,” AIPAC continued. “American and world leaders must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies to ensure the terror group adheres to this deal and finally releases all the remaining hostages.”

On the other side, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) opposed the deal, saying it was “appalled at recent reports regarding a final draft hostage deal’s alleged terms.”

It argued that “the reported final draft deal would be a huge mistake. It would mean that many more innocent Jews will be murdered and kidnapped by these released terrorists. It would mean more October 7ths. It would be an Israeli surrender, and a victory for the Hamas and Palestinian Authority terrorists.”

Jewish religious denominations also reacted to the deal. The Orthodox Union, in a statement titled “Mixed Emotions,” said, “We rejoice with the hostages who are being released, and we weep with those remaining in the hands of the Hamas monsters …We rejoice with the soldiers able to return to their families, homes, and daily lives, and we weep for those who will not.”

It continued, “We rejoice with those whose heroic sacrifices have brought Israel outstanding successes, and we share the frustration of many of them that their mission remains incomplete … We are infuriated by the trading of monstrous terrorists for innocent hostages, and we are fearful of the evil those monsters seek to unleash.”

The statement concluded, “We are grateful to President Trump for moving quickly to bring freedom to many, but we will not forget for even a moment the many who remain. There should still be hell to pay.”

The Union for Reform Judaism approached the deal with more optimism. It wrote, “Today is a moment we have prayed to see for more than 15 months. We welcome today’s news of a ceasefire and hostage agreement with bittersweet joy: with open arms to embrace and welcome home the hostages, with hearts filled with deep appreciation for all those who made this ceasefire possible, and with heartfelt prayers that, from the ashes of this enormous tragedy, a process might finally emerge that leads to true and lasting peace with security for all.”

It emphasized the Jewish imperative to redeem captives and added that “to prevent further suffering and death of additional IDF soldiers, hostages, and innocent Gazans — now is the time for those who have consistently blocked this agreement, especially Hamas, to steadfastly uphold this accord.”

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The last obstacles to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal had been ironed out, and Israel’s security cabinet was set to approve it on Friday, Israeli officials said on Thursday evening.

The news came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the agreement earlier in the day, accusing the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas of reneging on previously agreed-upon terms.

A US source, cited by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, also confirmed that the differences had been resolved. Meanwhile, a senior US official vowed the deal would proceed by Sunday — a day ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Although Qatari and American mediators announced on Wednesday that the deal had been finalized, Israeli officials refused to issue a confirmation, and on Thursday said last-minute obstacles had emerged.

The sticking points center on the list of Palestinian prisoners who have been detained in Israel largely for involvement in terrorist activities to be released in exchange for the hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza after being kidnapped during Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hamas had attempted to overturn a key clause in the agreement that grants Israel veto power over the release of high-profile inmates who are considered “symbols of terrorism,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said. Israel has also accused Hamas of “demanding to dictate the identity of these murderers,” in direct contradiction to the previously agreed-upon terms.

According to Israeli Channel 12 journalist Chaim Levinson, Hamas is insisting on the release of Hassan Salameh, the mastermind of the Bus 18 suicide bombings in Jerusalem in the 1990s, in which 46 Israelis were killed.

Additional disagreements reportedly involve logistical issues, such as control over the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border.

The strategic border strip has been a significant point of contention in the ceasefire and hostage-release discussions. Israel has insisted on maintaining a military presence in the corridor to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza, citing several dozen tunnels unearthed there. Officials on Thursday denied that Israel had agreed to withdraw its forces from it as part of the deal.

But Aryeh Deri — a member of Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset, where he serves as the head of the Shas party that is part of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition — said on Thursday that he had received a “final announcement that all obstacles have been overcome and the deal is underway.”

“I want to congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu — as he is responsible for the agreement,” he told his party.

Despite the lingering challenges earlier in the day, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby expressed confidence that the deal would proceed on Sunday.

“We’re aware of these issues that the prime minister has raised today, this afternoon, their time, and we’re working through that. Our team on the ground is actually working with him and his team to iron all this out and flatten it and get it moving forward,” Kirby told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

For families of the hostages, the delay has exacerbated an already unbearable wait.

“These truly are probably the most stressful days we’ve experienced in over a year since the last deal,” said Udi Goren, whose cousin Tal Haimi’s body remains in Hamas custody. Haimi was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, along with more than 1,200 others when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel. His body was taken to Gaza. His wife, Ella Haimi, gave birth to the couple’s fourth child in May.

“For us, we have seen so many disappointments over these past 15 months. You know, if this saying were ever true — ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’”

Emotions have run high, especially among bereaved families whose loved ones were killed by terrorists, many of whom oppose the deal, fearing it will lead to further terrorism down the line. Protests by those opposing the deal took place on Wednesday and Thursday evening in Jerusalem.

Israel Hayom journalist Ariel Kahana sharply criticized the role of Trump in pressuring Israel to finalize the emerging hostage deal, arguing it was pushed through prematurely. According to Kahana, senior Israeli officials believe Trump’s insistence on securing the agreement before his inauguration forced Netanyahu into accepting unfavorable terms. Describing it as “a bad deal, struck at the wrong time and under poor conditions,” Kahane claimed that waiting just a few more days could have allowed Israel to negotiate significantly better conditions.

“The deal, which is expected to take effect any moment now, will rehabilitate Hamas,” he argued. “The organization, which has suffered severe blows, will gain at least 1,000 new operatives directly from Israeli prisons. This influx of ‘new blood,’ quite literally, will undoubtedly lead to more bloodshed both within and outside Israel.”

“Why is the author of The Art of the Deal pushing Israel into a deal with the devil?” the journalist added, using the title of Trump’s popular 1987 book.

Goren called the agreement a “really bad deal.”

Nevertheless, he said it was a moral imperative to release the hostages now because that was the most pressing issue. “This is the consequence of Oct 7. I don’t want to say this is too high a price. This is the reality. The hostages will never, never come back by military force,” he said.

“Do I like it? No. They are insane jihadist terrorists,” Goren added.

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists abducted 251 hostages during their rampage across Israel, which responded to the invasion with a military campaign aimed at freeing the captives and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.

More than 100 hostages were released as part of a temporary truce in November 2023, and others have been freed — both dead and alive — by Israeli rescue operations. Some 98 hostages are still in captivity, and at least a third of them are believed to be dead.

Addressing the families of terror victims opposed to the agreement, Goren acknowledged their concerns. “We’ve seen terrorists go back to terror. But does Israel have the ability and also the responsibility to track them after their release? Absolutely.”

He also addressed the families of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed in the war who claim that their loved ones’ deaths were in vain if it would lead to the release of terrorists. Arguing that their sacrifice strengthened Israel’s negotiating position, Goren said, “The achievements in Gaza have allowed us to negotiate from a position of strength, ensuring Hamas no longer poses an existential threat to Israel.”

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