Vance Arrives In Israel To Bolster Gaza Ceasefire, Advance Trump Peace Plan
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Monday as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing diplomatic push to solidify the Gaza ceasefire and move toward a permanent end to the war with Hamas.
According to the BBC, Vance is expected to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin talks addressing long-term security and governance issues in Gaza — the next phase of President Donald J. Trump’s ambitious peace framework.
Two key U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who helped broker the ceasefire earlier this month, also met with Netanyahu on Monday in Jerusalem. Their meetings followed a weekend surge of violence that briefly threatened to unravel the fragile 12-day truce.
Israel said a Hamas attack killed two soldiers on Sunday, prompting retaliatory airstrikes that left dozens of Palestinians dead. Despite the violence, President Trump said the ceasefire remains intact but issued a stark warning: if Hamas violates the deal, it will be “eradicated.”
Under the administration’s peace plan, the next stage calls for the creation of an interim Palestinian government, deployment of an international stabilization force, a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the complete disarmament of Hamas.
Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner are now working to ensure that the first stage — the ceasefire itself — holds long enough for those broader steps to take effect.
The New York Times reported that U.S. officials are concerned Netanyahu may “vacate” the deal and resume a full-scale offensive. Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday that his discussions with Vance would focus on “security challenges” and “political opportunities.”
He defended Israel’s recent strikes on Gaza as a justified response to Hamas’ ceasefire violations:
“One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace,” Netanyahu said. “You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today, Israel is stronger than ever before.”
Israel’s military said the airstrikes were in retaliation for a Hamas anti-tank missile attack that killed two soldiers in southern Gaza. Hospitals in the territory reported at least 45 Palestinians killed in the Israeli response.
Despite the exchange, both sides have since reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire. Reports Monday indicated that four Palestinians were killed east of Gaza City after crossing the agreed ceasefire line; Israel said troops fired at “terrorists” in the area.
Later that day, President Trump told reporters at the White House that Hamas had pledged to keep the peace:
“We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good,” he said. “They’re going to behave. They’re going to be nice.”
“If they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them, if we have to. They’ll be eradicated, and they know that.”
In Cairo, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said his group remains committed to the ceasefire and intends to fulfill its obligations.
“What we heard from the mediators and the U.S. president reassures us that the war in Gaza is over,” he told Egypt’s Al-Qahera News TV.
Hamas has begun transferring the remains of Israeli hostages, including Tal Haimi, 41, who was killed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel. That brings the total to 13 of 28 hostages’ bodies returned since the ceasefire began.
Additionally, 20 living Israeli hostages were released last week in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners — a major component of the Trump-brokered truce.
Israel’s military campaign, launched after the October 7 attacks that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 hostages taken, has left over 68,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
While tensions remain high, the Trump administration’s diplomatic team is pressing forward — aiming to turn a fragile truce into a lasting peace deal that redefines stability in the Middle East.