JD Vance visits Israel to support Gaza truce: What the talks aim to achieve

Vance visits Israel with Gaza ceasefire uncertain

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel to support efforts to stabilize a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, following warnings from President Donald Trump that Hamas would face destruction if it violated the truce. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were already in Tel Aviv, where they met Israeli hostages recently freed by Hamas after two years in captivity.

"Welcome to Israel, Vice President Vance," Israel's foreign ministry posted on social media, sharing a photo of Vance and his wife disembarking the plane. "Together, the Promised Land and The Land of the Free, can secure a better future, including the release of the remaining 15 hostages," it added.

Vance is scheduled to meet Witkoff, Kushner, and US military experts overseeing the ceasefire, as well as Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday in Jerusalem.

This comes as the tensions have escalated after  Israel reported that Hamas killed two soldiers on Sunday and delayed returning their bodies. In response, Israel launched a wave of strikes across Gaza before later declaring a "renewed enforcement" of the ceasefire. The US is intensifying efforts to solidify the truce brokered by Trump.

What is expected from this visit? 

• US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel follows Monday’s talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, coinciding with Hamas’ ongoing negotiations with mediators in Cairo.
• A senior Israeli official stated that Vance’s visit is aimed at advancing the Gaza talks to the second phase of the ceasefire, building on the initial agreements already in place.
• Hamas’ Cairo delegation, led by exiled leader Khalil al-Hayya, is reviewing the next phase of the truce, post-war arrangements, and steps to stabilize the existing ceasefire in Gaza.
• Hayya, speaking to Egyptian television, reiterated Hamas’ commitment to the truce and its obligations in the first phase, including returning more bodies of hostages, emphasizing the importance of dignified burials for all deceased.
• On Monday, Israel received one more hostage body seized during Hamas’s October 7, 202,3 attack, leaving about 15 still in Gaza, with Israel expecting some to be returned quickly and others through a more complex process.
• Israel returned another 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Tuesday, bringing the total handed back to 165, according to local health authorities. Trump stated that he believes the ceasefire is still holding and that Hamas understands the consequences of breaching it. "They'll be eradicated, and they know that," he said. Hamas denied involvement in Sunday’s deadly violence in Rafah. Following the soldiers’ deaths, Israel's strikes reportedly killed 45 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 68,229 people in Gaza, according to Hamas’ health ministry, a figure the UN considers credible. Over half of the dead are women and children. Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians, based on official Israeli counts.

(With agency inputs)