JD Vance expresses ‘great optimism’ over Gaza ceasefire deal during Israel visit | Gaza
During his visit to Israel on Tuesday, two days after Israeli airstrikes killed 26 Palestinians, US vice president J.D. Vance expressed “great optimism” about the Gaza ceasefire plan, which he described as “permanent” and “going better than expected.”
Vance’s visit comes as Hamas officials attend talks in Cairo to bridge apparent differences with Israel, part of the Trump administration’s efforts to strengthen the ceasefire agreement.
“We’re doing very well. Better than I expected. We’re in a very good place. We’re going to have to keep working on it,” Vance said at a news conference in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel.
When asked about the chances of the ceasefire continuing, he said that the past week had given him “great optimism”.
His visit follows that of US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Vance met the two men upon his arrival and is scheduled to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night.
The ceasefire has been plagued by repeated violations since it came into force on October 10, when Palestinian militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel bombed Gaza on Sunday.
White House ambassador Kushner, who attended the press conference, also drew attention to the complexity of the ceasefire and stated that “both sides have now transitioned from two years of very intense war to a peacetime stance.”
Speaking at the civil-military cooperation center, Kushner said that other countries also want to be part of the process of reducing tensions in Gaza.
“Everyone believes it is possible to create something better in Gaza,” he said. “I believe a great outcome is possible.”
The Palestinian news agency reported that Israel violated the ceasefire 80 times in the last 11 days and killed at least 80 Palestinians. Israel accused Hamas of delaying the return of the hostages’ bodies and said this was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has returned 13 bodies but must return 15 more. The militant group said it would take time to find the remains because many people were trapped under the rubble.
A senior Israeli official told Reuters that Vance’s visit was aimed at moving Gaza talks to the second phase of the 20-point ceasefire plan prepared by the United States. Key parts of the plan – disarmament of Hamas and creation of a technocratic structure to control the Gaza Strip – have not yet been resolved.
Vance said that unless Hamas disarmed, “very bad things are going to happen.” But he refused to give a deadline, adding: “I don’t think it’s actually advisable to say it has to be done within a week.
“We know that Hamas has to abide by the agreement, and if Hamas does not comply with the agreement, very bad things will happen, but I will not do what the President of the United States has so far refused to do and has been given a clear deadline, because a lot of this is difficult,” he said.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Netanyahu also met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hasan Rashad in Jerusalem on Tuesday, where they discussed advancing the ceasefire plan. Egypt has been an important mediator and is expected to lead the stabilization force deployed to Gaza.
In Cairo, Hamas’s exiled leader, Khalil al-Hayya, discussed disarmament and the establishment of a technical committee to govern Gaza once the group gives up power. Israeli media have reported that Hamas will nominate a number of representatives for the committee, but it is unclear whether Israelis will agree to their inclusion.
Israel also said on Monday that it does not want the reconstruction of Gaza to begin until Hamas lays down its weapons; The militant group has consistently objected to this.
Although Israel and Hamas accuse each other of not abiding by the ceasefire, both say they are still committed to the agreement.
“From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and determined to see it through to the end,” Hayya told Egyptian television late Monday. he said. He added that the Sharm el-Sheikh summit was “an international will to declare that the war in Gaza is over” and that he had received assurances from Trump and others that the war was over.
Qatar, which served as the main mediator in ceasefire talks with Egypt on Tuesday, mocked Israel. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said Israel constantly violated the ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. He did not mention allegations that Hamas was involved in Sunday’s attack on Israeli soldiers, but said Qatar would continue to mediate ceasefire talks.
As tensions continued over the ceasefire, officials said aid to Gaza was still far less than promised. The Gaza media office said only 986 aid trucks had entered the strip since the ceasefire began; This number is a far cry from the expected 6,600.
The World Food Program (WFP) also echoed its concerns, saying just under a third of its target food amount was being brought into the region each day. “It is vital to maintain the ceasefire; it is really the only way to save lives and push back the famine in northern Gaza,” WFP Middle East spokesman Abeer Etefa told reporters in Geneva.
According to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, aid is planned to reach Gaza through five crossing points, but while the dispute over the bodies of the hostages continues, important crossing points, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt, remain closed.
Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli forces as they cross the “yellow line” marking the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Civil defense officials said Palestinians had no idea where the line was. The Israeli military said it began marking the yellow line on Tuesday with large yellow concrete blocks placed every 200 meters.
