Vice President JD Vance is set to arrive in Israel this Tuesday morning for crucial discussions with the nation’s leaders, as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to stabilize the recently established, yet incredibly delicate, cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
Earlier this month, both Israel and Hamas had agreed to a truce in their two-year conflict, following a plan outlined by President Trump. As part of this agreement, on October 13th, the Palestinian armed group released the remaining 20 Israeli hostages held in Gaza. In a reciprocal move, Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Despite being less than two weeks old, the cease-fire is already showing signs of significant strain as Mr. Vance begins his trip, which is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Experts suggest that this high-profile visit serves as a stern warning to both Israel and Hamas against any actions that could jeopardize the fragile peace.
During his time in Israel, Mr. Vance will join Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Mideast envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. Both Witkoff and Kushner are already on the ground, monitoring the truce and were pivotal in brokering the original deal, working alongside Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators.
Sources within the Trump administration, who spoke anonymously to The New York Times on Monday, expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might withdraw from the U.S.-backed agreement.
However, for now, both Israel and Hamas maintain their commitment to the cease-fire, despite a series of violent outbreaks in recent days.
For instance, on Sunday, Palestinian militants opened fire on Israeli soldiers in Rafah, a southern Gaza city, resulting in two fatalities. Israel responded with a wave of strikes that Gaza health officials reported killed 45 Palestinians. Although the immediate violence was brief, analysts caution that the truce is likely to face further tests. There have also been reports of Israeli forces attacking Palestinians who crossed a newly established demarcation line within Gaza. While the Israeli military claimed some were militants, Gaza officials stated that several civilians, including children, were killed on Saturday.
In a speech to the Knesset on Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu provided few specifics regarding his upcoming discussions with Vice President Vance.
“We will talk about two things, mainly the security challenges and the diplomatic opportunities we face,” Mr. Netanyahu stated. “We will overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities.”
President Trump and his team of mediators are hoping to leverage this cease-fire into a comprehensive postwar vision for Gaza. This ambitious plan envisions Hamas fighters disarming, an international force managing security, and an independent Palestinian administration eventually taking control.
Hamas, however, has voiced considerable reservations about this proposal, particularly concerning the disarmament of its fighters. Moreover, both sides have yet to fulfill significant clauses of the initial cease-fire, let alone agree on a broader framework for Gaza’s future.
The remains of approximately 15 hostages, which Hamas is obligated to return to Israel under the cease-fire agreement, are still believed to be in Gaza. Hamas officials claim they are doing their utmost, but the widespread devastation from two years of war has severely hampered their ability to recover the bodies.
“We are serious about handing over all of the bodies, as stipulated by the deal,” Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader, told Egyptian state television early Tuesday morning.
While Hamas has returned the bodies of at least 13 individuals to Israel, and Israel has, in turn, repatriated over 100 Palestinian remains, Mr. al-Hayya emphasized the “enormous difficulty” in locating and excavating further remains due to the “changed landscape” of Gaza, where large urban areas have been reduced to rubble by the conflict.
Conversely, Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, have accused Hamas of violating the agreement by delaying the return of more hostage remains. In response, Israel has indefinitely closed the Rafah crossing, a vital border point between Gaza and Egypt.
On Monday night, Hamas did transfer the body of one remaining hostage, later identified by Israeli officials as Tal Haimi. Mr. Haimi, 41, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak near the Gaza border, was killed during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the current war.
That attack claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people and led to about 250 individuals, mostly civilians, being taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. In retaliation, Israel launched a devastating military campaign in Gaza, which local health officials report has resulted in over 68,000 deaths, including thousands of children.