After being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed outgoing President Joe Biden's Middle East policy. Regarding the Gaza ceasefire agreement, he commented, "Biden couldn't do it. If I hadn't set a deadline, it would never have been possible."

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said about the prisoner exchange, "The prisoners are being released because I came back. Otherwise they would never have come back."

He also blamed the Biden administration's 'weakness' for Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Trump said, "October 7 should never have been allowed to happen. It is the result of the Biden administration's failure."

The first of the three phases of the Gaza ceasefire agreement went into effect on January 19. Under the agreement, steps will be taken to exchange prisoners, withdraw Israeli forces, and achieve lasting peace.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced two million people. The Israeli government claims that about 1,200 people have been killed in Hamas attacks in Israel.

Trump said about his plans to visit the Middle East at that time, "I'm thinking about going to the Middle East, but not right now."

He also blamed John Bolton and Dick Cheney for the Iraq War. Criticizing their war-mongering mentality, he said, "They destroyed our Middle East and nothing was achieved."

Source: Anadolu