US Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, expressing her belief that it could establish the two-state solution.

According to a statement issued by the White House, President Joe Biden and Harris expressed their satisfaction with the expected return of American prisoners (who hold Israeli citizenship) to their homes as part of the agreement that was reached.

Harris thanked Qatar and Egypt for their key role in mediating the agreement, which will come into effect next Sunday.

Harris said the ceasefire agreement would provide Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with the assistance they need.

"While there is still much work to be done, I believe this agreement can form the basis for a two-state solution that will provide a more peaceful future for the Israeli and Palestinian people," she added.

In turn, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that his country welcomes the ceasefire agreement that was reached after months of contacts and diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Qatar.

According to a statement by the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), Austin said that the agreement will create “new hope” for the Israeli and Palestinian people after the events that followed October 7, 2023.

On Wednesday evening, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced the success of mediators in reaching an agreement to exchange prisoners and return to sustainable calm, leading to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, noting that the agreement will begin to be implemented next Sunday.

The agreement was announced on the 467th day of the Israeli war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, which, with American support, left more than 156,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and elderly people, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.