Appearing Monday on Newsmax’s “National Report,” retired U.S. Army Col. Bill O’Connor praised President Donald Trump’s diplomatic success in brokering a ceasefire and peace deal between Israel and Hamas — but cautioned that the hardest work is yet to come.
O’Connor, a veteran of Middle East operations, called the first stage of the deal “the easiest,” noting that the release of hostages marked a critical but relatively straightforward milestone in what will be a long and uncertain peace process.
“I’ll tell you that the first phase was the easiest phase, getting the hostages transferred,” he said. “Now, remember there were 1,700 prisoners coming into Hamas, and a lot of these guys were very, very bad guys. That does kind of make things tough and the second and third phases will be tougher.”
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