During his visit to Israel on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about the durability of the Gaza cease-fire deal. Yet, he offered limited specifics on how the Trump administration intends to foster a lasting peace in the region.
On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel as part of a significant U.S. initiative to solidify the delicate Gaza cease-fire agreement. His visit, however, concluded without him providing a clear timeline for Hamas’s disarmament or outlining the strategies officials would employ to ensure the militant group complies with this critical condition of the truce.
Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas reached a truce to halt their two-year conflict, an agreement largely built upon components of a peace plan proposed by President Trump. Despite initial hopes, this deal has recently faced mounting pressure due to recurring outbreaks of violence across Gaza.
Nonetheless, on the inaugural day of his Israeli tour, Mr. Vance conveyed a hopeful outlook, believing the agreement would endure.
Speaking at a news conference in southern Israel, he remarked, “Things are going, frankly, better than I expected.”
Mr. Vance clarified that his visit was unrelated to the recent violence, stating, “My visit had nothing to do with the events of the past 48 hours.”
Crucially, Hamas’s disarmament continues to be a significant obstacle to achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the Gaza war cannot truly conclude until Hamas lays down its weapons. However, Hamas views disarmament as an act of surrender, considering armed resistance against Israel fundamental to its core ideology.
During the news conference held at a U.S. civil-military coordination center in southern Israel—a hub for personnel overseeing the cease-fire’s implementation—Mr. Vance remarked, “I don’t think it’s actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in a week.” He participated in security briefings there, joined by Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy, and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. Both Witkoff and Kushner played pivotal roles in negotiating the cease-fire, supported by Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators.
While all three officials voiced optimism regarding the cease-fire, they offered scant details on their strategy for transitioning it into a durable peace.
Flanked by Mr. Vance, Mr. Kushner indicated that the U.S. was contemplating initiating reconstruction efforts in sections of Gaza still managed by Israel.
Mr. Kushner explained that these reconstruction efforts aimed to “give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live.” He explicitly stated that no reconstruction funding would be allocated to areas under Hamas control. There was no immediate response from Hamas, and the broader reaction from other groups in Gaza to this proposal remained uncertain.
Earlier on Tuesday, soon after Mr. Vance’s arrival, President Trump issued a statement via social media, warning that if Hamas breached the agreement, several undisclosed U.S. allies in the Middle East would be eager to retaliate against the militant group with “heavy force.”
“There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right,” President Trump posted.
According to analysts, Mr. Vance’s visit to Israel, scheduled to conclude on Thursday, serves as a clear warning to both Israel and Hamas against jeopardizing the fragile truce.
The truce faced a significant challenge on Sunday when Palestinian militants opened fire on Israeli soldiers in Rafah, a southern city, resulting in two fatalities. Israel quickly retaliated with a series of strikes that, according to Gaza health officials, killed 45 Palestinians. Although this particular bout of violence was brief, experts caution that the cease-fire will likely endure further tests.
Furthermore, Israeli forces have targeted Palestinians accused of crossing a demarcation line, beyond which Israeli troops had retreated within Gaza. While the Israeli military claimed some of those targeted were militants, Gaza officials reported on Saturday that these attacks had tragically killed several civilians, including children.
Image: Vice President JD Vance addresses a news conference during his Tuesday visit to Israel. (Credit: Nathan Howard for The New York Times)
On Monday, numerous Trump administration officials, speaking anonymously to share insights from private discussions, informed The New York Times of internal concerns that Prime Minister Netanyahu might abandon the U.S.-supported agreement.
During his Tuesday news conference, Mr. Vance commended the Israeli government for its “remarkably helpful” role in the implementation of the peace plan.
The Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the Vice President was slated to meet with Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday morning.
Mr. Netanyahu, however, remained non-committal about the specific topics he intended to discuss with Mr. Vance.
Addressing Israel’s Parliament on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu stated, “We will talk about two things, mainly the security challenges and the diplomatic opportunities we face. We will overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities.”
Later on Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu’s office announced that he had met with General Hassan Rashad, Egypt’s intelligence chief, to discuss the Gaza cease-fire alongside other pertinent regional matters.
The agreement stipulated that Hamas would release the remaining 20 Israeli hostages held in Gaza. In return, Israel, on October 13, freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
President Trump and his mediating team aspire to leverage this cease-fire into an ambitious post-war blueprint for Gaza: envisioning Hamas fighters disarming, an international force overseeing security, and an autonomous Palestinian administration eventually taking leadership.
Hamas has voiced strong objections to this comprehensive plan, particularly concerning the disarmament of its fighters. Both parties are still struggling to fulfill key aspects of the initial cease-fire, let alone finalize a broader accord on Gaza’s long-term future.
Presently, both Israel and Hamas affirm their commitment to the existing cease-fire.
Hamas has facilitated the return of at least 13 bodies to Israel, while Israel has, in turn, returned over 100 Palestinian bodies to Gaza.
Approximately 15 hostage bodies, which Hamas is required to return to Israel under the cease-fire terms, are still located in Gaza. Hamas officials have indicated that while they are making every effort, recovering these remains presents considerable challenges.
Khalil al-Hayya, a prominent Hamas leader, assured Egyptian state television early Tuesday, “We are serious about handing over all of the bodies, as stipulated by the deal.”
He elaborated on the “enormous difficulty” Hamas encounters in excavating some remains, citing the “changed landscape” of Gaza, where extensive urban areas have been devastated by the two-year conflict.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, have accused Hamas of breaching the agreement by failing to promptly return additional hostage remains. In response, Israel has kept the Rafah crossing, connecting Gaza and Egypt, closed indefinitely.
By Tuesday evening, the Israeli government confirmed that the Red Cross had facilitated the transfer of two hostage bodies to Israeli forces within Gaza. Hamas had previously announced its intention to return the remains of two more deceased hostages.
Meanwhile, Mr. Vance appealed for patience concerning the retrieval of the remaining bodies, noting that some are interred beneath tons of debris.
He emphasized, “It is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families so that they can have a proper burial,” acknowledging that “This is not going to happen overnight.”
Reporting for this article was contributed by Aaron Boxerman from Jerusalem, Tyler Pager from Kiryat Gat, and Liam Stack from Tel Aviv, Israel.