Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former President Clinton gave President Trump credit for the ceasefire in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages by Hamas.
“Today is a wonderful day. Finally, finally, finally, the last living hostages brutally held by Hamas are home, an immense and overwhelming sigh of relief,” Schumer said in a statement obtained by The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.
“I commend the enormous advocacy of the tireless hostage families, President Trump, his administration, and all who helped make this moment happen,” the Senate Democratic leader added.
All 20 living Israeli hostages were returned Monday, with the Israel and Hamas undertaking the first phase of a peace deal supported by the Trump administration.
Israel on Monday also released over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal, marking an important point in the effort to halt the fighting in Gaza.
“The horrors of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and the conflict they reignited, have resulted in unbearable human loss. It has been hard to watch and nearly impossible to rationalize,” Clinton said in a statement posted to the social platform X on Monday afternoon.
“I’m grateful that a ceasefire has taken hold, that the last 20 living hostages have been freed, and that desperately needed aid has begun to flow into Gaza,” the former president added. “President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached.”
Trump pushed Israeli leaders to move on from warfare to peace. The president told the Knesset that Israel had won “all that they can by the force of arms” and expressed optimism about the region’s future.
Other prominent Democrats lauded the ceasefire and return of hostages without giving credit to the president.
“Thankful that all 20 living Israeli hostages are home with their loved ones. And that humanitarian assistance is being surged into Gaza for Palestinian civilians,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Monday on X. “We must now recommit to achieving a just and lasting peace in the region. Nothing less than that is acceptable.”
“After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited with their families; and that vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza whose lives have been shattered,” Obama said in a post on the social platform X on Thursday.