US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to reinforce the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement, as President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Hamas over the deal his administration brokered.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli hostages recently released after two years in captivity. “Welcome to Israel, Vice President Vance,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted, emphasizing cooperation between “the Promised Land and the Land of the Free” to secure the release of the remaining 15 hostages.
Vance, who met Witkoff and Kushner earlier in Tel Aviv, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US military experts overseeing the truce.
Tensions flared after Israel accused Hamas of killing two soldiers and delaying the return of hostages’ bodies, prompting Israeli strikes described as “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire.
President Trump warned that allied Middle Eastern nations were ready to send troops into Gaza if Hamas continued violating the peace terms, posting on Truth Social that they would “straighten out Hamas” at his request.
Despite weekend violence, both Israel and Hamas insist they remain committed to the ceasefire, which has been in place since October 10. Hamas’ armed wing announced it would return two more hostages’ bodies on Tuesday, while Israel pledged to recover “every last one.”
Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad and Qatari officials also arrived in Israel to help stabilize the truce, as Netanyahu and Vance prepared to discuss “security challenges and diplomatic opportunities.”
The Gaza war, which began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,229 people in Gaza and 1,221 in Israel, according to UN-verified figures.
What You Should Know
Vice President JD Vance’s visit marks the Biden administration’s highest-level engagement in the region since the ceasefire began.
The fragile truce—central to Trump’s Middle East peace strategy—faces mounting pressure amid renewed violence and political divisions within Israel.
