The former mediator in the “Shalit Deal” revealed behind-the-scenes details of the current agreement between Israel and Hamas, expressing his belief that U.S. President Donald Trump forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war.

Gershon Baskin, a left-wing activist and one of the main mediators in the 2011 soldier Gilad Shalit deal, published a comprehensive statement on Thursday following recent developments in the negotiations and the signing of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. In his statement, Baskin detailed step-by-step the behind-the-scenes of the deal and the relationships he established with Hamas representatives and U.S. administration officials.

He said, “It is definitely a celebratory morning. The war is ending. The killing and destruction will stop. Israeli hostages will return home – alive and deceased. For the Palestinians, there will be celebrations with the release of prisoners and detainees from Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief.”

Baskin added that thanks must be expressed to the parties who worked behind the scenes: “First, we must all thank President Trump, his envoy Steve Witkoff, and of course Jared Kushner, who helped exert full pressure on Israel and Hamas. Trump and Witkoff ensured that the Prime Minister of Qatar, the Egyptian Intelligence Minister, and the Turkish Intelligence Chief were all together in the final critical phase – a brilliant move. Trump constrained Netanyahu by the agreement, and the Qataris, Egyptians, and Turks constrained Hamas.”

He emphasized that “there are still missing details, but the main thing is that this agreement is a declaration of the end of the war – not a temporary ceasefire. There are guarantees that the war will not resume after Hamas releases all the hostages.”

Baskin noted that “this deal could have been made a long time ago. Hamas had already agreed to all these terms in September 2024 in what was known as the Three Weeks Deal.” According to him, “at that time, the response from Israeli negotiators was that the Prime Minister did not agree to end the war. Although Hamas’s proposal was conveyed to former U.S. President Joe Biden, his representative Brett McGurk refused to deviate from the bad deal he was trying to promote.”

He added that even in communications with American, Qatari, and Egyptian officials, he received a unified answer: “The obstacle was Israel – not Hamas.” He confirmed: “Hamas was ready for a deal to release all hostages, relinquish its rule in Gaza, and end the war, but Israel was not ready to respond.”

Baskin concluded his statement with decisive words: “President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Steve Witkoff deserves recognition for his role. According to him: “At 2:00 a.m., all negotiation participants entered a large room with tables arranged in a square. The Israeli delegation sat opposite the Hamas delegation – this was the first time in history that official representatives of Israel and Hamas sat in the same room. The deal was signed, and now only full implementation remains. And now – finally – we can breathe a sigh of relief again.”

(Agencies)