Trump promised not to let Israel break Gaza ceasefire to get deal

As negotiations for a Gaza peace deal approached the finish line, President Trump provided a personal guarantee he wouldn't let Israel abandon it and resume the war, two U.S. officials revealed in a briefing with reporters. Why it matters: Trump's assurances were a key factor in convincing Hamas to take the deal, the sources say. The ceasefire is now officially in effect after Israel's cabinet approved the deal early Friday morning local time.The officials said that part of Trump's guarantee was the establishment of a U.S.-led military task force to oversee the ceasefire and address any violations. Driving the news: The Israeli military must now withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours of the cabinet vote.In the next 72 hours after that happens, Hamas must release all of the remaining hostages, 20 of whom are alive. That should be completed by Monday. The intrigue: A U.S. official told Axios one factor in the breakthrough was that "Hamas had started to see the hostages as a liability rather than an asset" in terms of its future negotiating position. With that in mind, the U.S. side came into this week's talks believing Hamas was now ready to free the hostages, and that they could ensure the Israelis stuck to their side of the bargain.Behind the scenes: Trump asked his envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff what the odds of a deal were on Tuesday before they departed for Egypt."100%" Kushner replied, according to a U.S. official. A surprised Trump asked how he could possibly know that, and Kushner answered: "Because we can't afford to fail."After arriving on Wednesday, Witkoff and Kushner had their first meeting with the Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators. They delivered a message to the mediators, and through them to Hamas, that Trump stood behind every point of his 20-point plan and would ensure it was fully implemented."There was a great deal of mistrust between the sides and the president wanted to make it clear that this deal was very important to him, that he wanted it to happen, that he wants to end the carnage and wanted to make sure everyone understood he would enforce good conduct," one U.S. official said. Both U.S. officials said Trump was personally involved in the negotiations, making at least three calls to various interlocutors to express his assurances directly.Flashback: Israel unilaterally broke a previous ceasefire in March, making Trump's guarantee this one would hold all the more salient.How it happened: The U.S. team was originally hoping for a deal by the end of the week, but agreements were reached on several key issues throughout the day on Wednesday. "People were beginning to move toward the middle," one official said.Shortly after 1am local time on Thursday, Kushner and Witkoff came to the conclusion that the deal was ready to be announced. Soon thereafter, Trump broke the news to the world over Truth Social.Zoom in: One part of Trump's guarantee is a U.S.-led military monitoring mechanism for the ceasefire.Witkoff and Kushner discussed the idea with CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper while on the flight to Egypt. Cooper later joined the negotiations to present the idea."It strengthened the confidence in the guarantees the president provided that the deal would be carried out as written," a U.S. official said.The two officials said 200 U.S. soldiers and officers will take part in an international task force to monitor the ceasefire, though they won't be on the ground in Gaza. They'll be joined by military officers from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.What to watch: On Friday, Witkoff and Kushner will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli military officials to discuss the monitoring mechanism and plans for the "international stabilization force" (ISF) that's supposed to be deployed to Gaza under the deal.The plan calls for troops from Arab and Muslim countries to move into areas from which the Israel Defense Forces withdraw. The process is expected to take several months. The U.S. officials said that after the ISF deploys, "we'll move to dismantling Gaza's military installations and heavy weapons."State of play: Witkoff and Kushner joined the Israeli cabinet meeting to lobby in favor of the agreement, and will stay in the region until President Trump arrives early next week, the officials said. They will follow the implementation of the IDF withdrawal and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. "They want to make sure everyone lives up to their commitments and that there are no misunderstandings," a U.S. official said. The officials echoed Trump's hopes of using the momentum of the deal to expand the Abraham Accords.

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