Gaza ceasefire live: JD Vance has ‘great optimism’ truce will hold as he prepares to meet Netanyahu | Middle East and north Africa

US vice president JD Vance expressed “great optimism” that the Gaza ceasefire would continue ahead of his meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Vance is in Israel to promote support for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and postwar reconstruction plans.

Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas is taking advantage of the pause to reassert itself in Gaza. Vance said Washington would not set a deadline for disarmament of the group under the US-brokered deal.

Then came Donald Trump He warned that if the ceasefire was not respected, allied countries in the region would invade Gaza to destroy Hamas.

Vance said at the press conference: Kiryat Gate, A city in southern Israel where a US-led mission is monitoring the Gaza ceasefire:

What we saw last week gives me great optimism that the ceasefire will continue

I think everyone should be proud of the point we have reached today. It will take constant effort. Requires constant monitoring and control

Hello and welcome to our ongoing Middle East coverage.

JD Vance expressed “great optimism” that the Gaza ceasefire would continue during his visit to Israel to promote support for a ceasefire and post-war reconstruction plans.

US vice president preparing for meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu On Wednesday – “I think everyone should be proud of where we are today. It’s going to take constant effort. It’s going to take constant monitoring and supervision.”

Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas is taking advantage of the pause to reassert itself in Gaza. Vance said Washington would not set a deadline for disarmament of the group under the US-brokered deal.

Then came Donald Trump He warned that if the ceasefire was not respected, allied countries in the region would invade Gaza to destroy Hamas.

Meanwhile, tensions arose after Hamas said it needed time and technical assistance to find the remaining dead Israeli hostages. The Israeli military said on Wednesday that the remains of two more hostages returned a day earlier had been identified.

Hamas has released 13 of the 28 hostage bodies it promised would be returned under the deal, but says the search has been hampered by the level of destruction in the area.

• The United Nations high court will rule on Wednesday on Israel’s obligations towards organizations providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, as aid groups try to increase aid after the ceasefire. Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague were asked for an “advisory opinion” setting out Israel’s duty to facilitate aid to Gaza.

• At a press conference in Israel on Tuesday, J.D. Vance referred to Hamas as a “terrorist organization” and said the Israeli army “defended itself” throughout the conflict. He thanked the Israeli government, saying there was “a lot of work left to be done” and that it would take “a long time.”

• Vance said that unless Hamas disarmed, “very bad things are going to happen.” But he refused to set a deadline for Hamas’ disarmament, adding: “I don’t think it’s actually advisable to say it has to be done within a week.”

• Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said there was “surprisingly strong communication” between the United Nations and Israel on humanitarian aid. He echoed Vance’s comments that people were “getting a little hysterical about the so-called attacks” on the ceasefire.

• While international organizations said they increased the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, security forces led by Hamas also launched a crackdown on price gouging by private traders. The World Food Program said it had sent more than 530 trucks to Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. This is still far below the 500 to 600 figures entered daily before the war.

• Israel called on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to renege on his promise to comply with the arrest warrant issued by the international criminal court if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to the country. In an interview published last week on Bloomberg, Carney was asked if he would honor his predecessor Justin Trudeau’s pledge to arrest Netanyahu on war crimes charges if he came to Canada, and he answered “yes.”

• The Gaza health ministry said that Israel transferred the bodies of 15 more Palestinians to Gaza within the scope of the ceasefire. It was stated that the International Committee of the Red Cross delivered the bodies to Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.

• The EU has been criticized for pausing sanctions on the Israeli government in response to Donald Trump’s peace efforts in the Middle East as the fragile ceasefire comes under threat. Following a meeting with EU foreign ministers on Monday, European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced a pause in efforts to suspend preferential trade with Israel and sanctions against individuals fueling the conflict on both sides.