The United States has intensified diplomatic efforts to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza as part of a wider ceasefire framework, with Vice President JD Vance acknowledging the formidable challenges ahead in restoring peace to the war-torn territory.
Speaking during a visit to Israel on Wednesday, Vance said Washington remained committed to ensuring a lasting peace that guarantees security for Israel while improving living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza.
“We have a very, very tough task ahead of us — to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza; to make life better for the people of Gaza while ensuring that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel,” he stated.
The Vice President met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on the second day of his three-day visit — part of a US-led diplomatic push to consolidate the ceasefire, secure the release of hostages, and pave the way for Gaza’s reconstruction.
On Tuesday, Vance inaugurated the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in southwest Israel, where American and allied forces will work alongside the Israeli military to oversee the truce and coordinate humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
He noted that an “international security force” would be established to maintain stability in Gaza once Israel begins its withdrawal, in line with President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace roadmap. While several US allies are reportedly considering participation, no American troops will be deployed inside Gaza; instead, coordination will take place from the CMCC in Kiryat Gat.
Reports suggesting Turkey’s potential involvement in the proposed peacekeeping mission have stirred unease in Israel. Reacting to questions on the issue, Netanyahu said decisions regarding the security force would be made jointly with the US but added pointedly, “I have very strong opinions about that. You want to guess what they are?”
Despite renewed hostilities on Sunday — when two Israeli soldiers were killed and retaliatory air strikes claimed dozens of Palestinian lives — Vance expressed “great optimism” that the fragile ceasefire would hold.
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, hosted Vance and the US Second Lady, Usha Vance, for breakfast before a working session and a joint press conference.
Defending his acceptance of the US-brokered truce amid domestic criticism, Netanyahu credited Trump’s administration with helping to isolate Hamas and advance Israel’s regional relations.
“We’ve been able to do two things: put the knife to Hamas’s throat through our military efforts, and isolate Hamas diplomatically in the Arab and Muslim world — something the President and his team achieved brilliantly,” Netanyahu said.
Vance, for his part, described the Gaza deal as a “critical piece in unlocking the Abraham Accords,” referring to the Trump-era initiative that normalised Israel’s relations with several Arab states.
Still, the Vice President cautioned that the situation remained “very, very fragile,” as the ceasefire continued amid sporadic violence.
In Gaza, residents have cautiously welcomed the lull in fighting. Imran Skeik, a displaced civilian sheltering in a tent in Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighbourhood, told AFP:
“The situation is much better — the war has stopped, and there are no sounds of bombs and shelling like before. We hope the ceasefire continues and that both sides keep to it. But we’re still suffering in tents. Will we have to stay like this?”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday the identification of two more hostages whose remains were recently returned — 85-year-old Aryeh Zalmanovich, abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity, and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, 38, who was slain defending the same community on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has so far returned 15 of the 28 bodies it pledged to release under the ceasefire arrangement, though the militant group says recovery efforts are complicated by extensive destruction across Gaza.
The conflict, which began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, has claimed more than 68,000 lives in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry deemed credible by the United Nations. Israel’s death toll stands at 1,221, mostly civilians, according to official data compiled by AFP.
