Vance arrives in Israel as Washington pushes to secure Gaza truce

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has arrived in Israel as Washington steps up efforts to reinforce the fragile Gaza ceasefire and move talks toward a lasting peace arrangement.

Vance is expected to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to open negotiations on key long-term issues aimed at ending the conflict with Hamas permanently.

Two U.S. envoys who helped broker the truce, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, also met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, showing the Trump administration’s determination to preserve the 12-day-old truce.

Their visits come after renewed violence on Sunday, when a Hamas anti-tank attack killed two Israeli soldiers, prompting Israeli airstrikes that left dozens of Palestinians dead.

Despite the escalation, President Donald Trump insisted that the ceasefire remains intact but warned Hamas of severe consequences if the group breaches the deal again.

“If they violate the agreement, they’ll be eradicated, and they know that,” Trump said in Washington.

According to U.S. officials, Trump dispatched his deputy and envoys to maintain momentum and advance the second phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan.

The next phase is expected to include forming an interim administration in Gaza, the deployment of an international stabilization force, Israeli troop withdrawal, and the gradual disarmament of Hamas.

Washington’s concern, sources say, is that Netanyahu might abandon the deal and resume full-scale military operations, a move that could unravel weeks of delicate negotiations.

Addressing Israel’s parliament on Monday, Netanyahu said he would discuss “security challenges and political opportunities” with Vance during his visit.

He also defended Israel’s military response, noting that 153 tonnes of bombs had been dropped on Gaza following Hamas’s “blatant” violation of the truce.

“One hand holds a weapon, the other is stretched out for peace,” Netanyahu said. “Peace is made from a position of strength, and Israel has never been stronger.”

Israeli forces accused Hamas of launching Sunday’s deadly missile strike from southern Gaza.

In retaliation, Israeli aircraft carried out dozens of raids that Gaza health officials said killed at least 45 Palestinians.

Although Israel later announced it was resuming enforcement of the ceasefire, Palestinian sources reported further clashes on Monday, including the killing of four people near Shejaiya, east of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya reaffirmed his faction’s commitment to the truce, telling Egyptian media that “the war in Gaza is over” and that his group would “fully implement” the agreement.

Hayya added that Hamas is working to recover the remains of deceased hostages buried under rubble and confirmed that one body, identified as Tal Haimi, a 41-year-old Israeli civilian killed on October 7, had been handed over to the Red Cross overnight.

So far, 13 of the 28 bodies of Israeli hostages held in Gaza when the ceasefire began on October 10 have been returned.

Another 20 living hostages were freed last week in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons.

The Israeli government has expressed frustration that Hamas has yet to return all the deceased hostages, insisting the group must “honor its commitments.”

Israel’s offensive in Gaza was launched in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken into Gaza.

Since then, more than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s health authorities.