Vance says Gaza ceasefire ‘going better than expected’, warns Hamas faces ‘obliteration’

JD Vance

US Vice President JD Vance said the Gaza ceasefire agreement is “going better than expected” and expressed optimism that the truce could hold during his visit to Israel.

Vance, speaking at a press briefing alongside US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, praised Israel for being “remarkably helpful” in moving towards the deal’s main objectives. But he cautioned that significant challenges remain before a lasting peace can be achieved. “If Hamas does not co-operate, it will be obliterated,” Vance warned, adding that the US continues to monitor the implementation closely. He declined to specify a timeline for Hamas’s disarmament, which remains a key but unresolved part of the ceasefire plan.

US President Donald Trump, who brokered the ceasefire earlier this month, said his “great allies” in the Middle East were prepared to “go into Gaza with a heavy force and straighten out Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly.” Trump wrote on social media that “there is still hope that Hamas will do what is right,” but warned that if it does not, “an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!”

The vice president’s visit followed a flare-up on Sunday that threatened to derail the 12-day-old truce. Israel said a Hamas anti-tank missile attack killed two soldiers, prompting air strikes across Gaza that local hospitals said killed at least 45 Palestinians, reported BBC. Despite the exchange, both Israel and Hamas have since reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire.

According to the BBC, Trump dispatched Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner to Israel to maintain momentum on his 20-point Gaza peace plan. The next phase of the plan reportedly involves setting up an interim Palestinian government, deploying an international stabilisation force, withdrawing Israeli troops, and ensuring Hamas’s disarmament.

Israel, however, has said it will not join those talks until Hamas returns all deceased hostages it has been holding. US officials quoted by The New York Times expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might abandon the deal and resume full-scale military operations.

Addressing Israel’s parliament on Monday, Netanyahu said he would discuss “security challenges” and “political opportunities” with Vance. “One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace,” he said. “You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today, Israel is stronger than ever before.”