During his visit to Israel on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance confronted one of the most challenging obstacles to achieving enduring peace in Gaza. He announced that the complex and sensitive mission of disarming Hamas would fall to an international security force, whose formation is still pending.
Speaking to reporters as his visit concluded, Vance emphasized his trip’s primary goal: strengthening the precarious cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. He acknowledged that the disarmament process would be lengthy and heavily reliant on the structure and members of the yet-to-be-established force.
The cease-fire agreement, implemented just weeks prior, originated from a September proposal by President Trump. It specifically called for a “temporary International Stabilization Force” to be deployed in Gaza. However, many nations have been reluctant to pledge troops, primarily due to the undefined nature of the force’s mandate within the war-torn Palestinian territory. Concerns also persist about the potential for direct confrontation with Hamas combatants.
Although Vance’s brief Thursday remarks didn’t directly address these security worries, he reaffirmed that no American troops would be deployed to Gaza. Instead, U.S. personnel would focus on “supervising and mediating the peace process.”
Notably, the comprehensive 20-point peace plan initially omitted the explicit task of disarming Hamas for the security force, and no clear timeline for such an operation has been established. The force’s original concept involved securing areas vacated by Israeli troops, interdicting weapon shipments into the territory, ensuring humanitarian aid distribution, and establishing a Palestinian police force.
Despite these efforts, the agreement has faced renewed pressure from recent violence in Gaza and persistent tensions surrounding the exchange of deceased Israelis and Palestinians.
Further complicating matters, Israeli lawmakers this week approved a preliminary measure to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank — a clear violation of President Trump’s peace plan terms.
Vance reacted strongly on Thursday, calling the vote “weird” and sharply criticizing the lawmakers involved.
He stated, “If it was a political stunt, it was an incredibly foolish one, and I find it personally insulting.” He unequivocally reiterated the Trump administration’s stance: “The West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That is the definitive policy.”
Vance’s departure from Israel came mere hours before Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s scheduled arrival for a fresh series of diplomatic engagements.
Earlier on Wednesday, Rubio had also spoken about the proposed international force for Gaza. Prior to his flight to Israel from Joint Base Andrews, he informed reporters that the Trump administration might seek a formal United Nations “mandate” for its deployment.
These consecutive high-level visits by Vance and Rubio highlight the administration’s strong commitment to upholding the cease-fire. This week also saw the presence of Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, in Israel.
President Trump himself had visited the nation earlier in the month to commemorate the cease-fire agreement.
However, a number of anonymous Trump administration officials have recently said there was concern within the administration that Prime Minister Netanyahu might withdraw from the deal.
Prior to his departure, Rubio announced that American diplomats would soon be stationed at a newly established Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, tasked with monitoring the fragile cease-fire.
Rubio acknowledged the considerable challenges ahead, stating, “There’s a lot of work to be done. But we were determined to be there, ensuring the right personnel were at the coordination center, which is absolutely vital for maintaining stability.”
The cease-fire, which commenced earlier this month, resulted in the withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza and a significant prisoner exchange: the remaining 20 Israeli hostages were freed in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.