Albanese backs Rudd after Trump run-in; Trump-Putin summit called off amid pressure to negotiate ceasefire with Ukraine
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and other envoys expressed optimism about Gaza’s fragile ceasefire agreement and said progress was better than expected, although they acknowledged significant challenges that remain, from disarmament of Hamas to the distribution of humanitarian aid to rebuilding a region devastated by two years of war.
During his visit to Israel at night, Vance noted that there had been an increase in violence recently, but said that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which started on October 10 after a two-year war, was going “better than I expected.”
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff added that “we are now beyond where we thought we would be.”
US Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump. Credit: access point
Vance sought to downplay the idea that his visit, his first as vice president, was organized on an urgent basis to keep the ceasefire in place. He said he was “confident that we will be in a place where peace will last” but echoed President Donald Trump’s warning that Hamas would be “destroyed” if it did not cooperate.
Vance is expected to stay in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.
Additionally, the Israeli military said Hamas handed over the remains of two more hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza.
The remains of 13 hostages have been returned to Israel since the ceasefire began. After these last remains reach Israel, the other 13 remains must be found in Gaza and handed over.
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