Vance tried to downplay any idea that his visit — his first as vice president — was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place.
Hamas hands over remains of 2 more hostages Late Tuesday, Israel’s military said the remains of two more Gaza hostages had been returned to Israel, where they would be identified.
Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel.
On his visit to Israel Tuesday, Vance urged a “little bit of patience” amid Israeli frustration with Hamas’ pace of returning the hostages.
The bodies could include Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken out of Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.
Israel’s Kiryat Gat (AP) — U. S. . During a visit to Israel on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance praised the fragile ceasefire in Gaza for making better progress than expected but also acknowledged the difficulties still facing the region, which include disarming Hamas and reconstructing a region that has been devastated by two years of conflict.
Although there have been recent violent outbursts, Vance cited the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “Better than I expected” is how 10 is going. Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy for the Trump administration, went on to say that “at this point, we are surpassing our expectations.”. “”.
In light of ongoing concerns about the long-term peace strategy, such as the timing and manner of the deployment of an international security force to Gaza and the post-conflict governance of the region, they paid a visit to a new center in Israel for military and civilian cooperation.
Vance made an effort to deny that his visit, which was his first as vice president, was a last-minute attempt to maintain the ceasefire. He stated that he is “confident that we’re going to be in a place where this peace lasts,” but he also threatened to “obliterate” Hamas if it does not cooperate. “.”.
U. Jared Kushner. S. “Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture,” said the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, who was one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, highlighting its complexity. “”.
Vance is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials during his stay in the area, which is anticipated to last until Thursday.
Netanyahu fired Tzachi Hanegbi, his national security adviser, on Tuesday without providing an explanation. Hanegbi reportedly opposed Israel’s March relaunch of its Gaza offensive and its September airstrike attempt to kill Hamas’ leader in Qatar, according to Israeli media. “Times of disagreement” with Netanyahu were mentioned by Hanegbi in a statement.
Two more hostages’ remains are turned over by Hamas.
Two more hostages from Gaza have had their bodies returned to Israel, where they will be identified, according to a statement released by Israel’s military late Tuesday.
because the ceasefire was established in October. 10, 15 hostages’ remains have been sent back to Israel. Thirteen more must be found and returned to Gaza.
In response to Israeli annoyance with Hamas’ slow pace of hostage return, Vance, who is in Israel on Tuesday, called for a “little bit of patience.”.
Thousands of pounds of debris have covered some of these hostages. Nobody even knows the whereabouts of some of the hostages, Vance claimed.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel is exchanging the remains of each dead hostage for 15 Palestinian bodies. It stated on Tuesday that Israel has moved 165 bodies since the beginning of the month.
When questioned by reporters about the ceasefire’s next steps, he remarked that “a lot of this work is very hard” and urged adaptability.
He stated, “We’ll worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is once we’ve reached a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security.”. Let’s concentrate on providing food and medicine, rebuilding, and ensuring security. “”.
Even so, about 200 U. A. Vance underlined that although troops were recently dispatched to Israel, they would not be present in Gaza. However, he stated that authorities are starting to “imagine what that international security force would look like” for the region.
He mentioned that Indonesia and Turkey are anticipated to take part. On the stage where he spoke were the flags of Britain, Denmark, Germany, and Jordan. British officials announced late Tuesday that they would send a small group of military officers to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire.
Both Israel and Hamas have stated that they are committed to the ceasefire, despite the fact that it has been put to the test by fighting and accusations of violations.
Prices are rising as aid into Gaza increases.
As Hamas-led security forces repressed what they described as price gouging by private merchants, international organizations announced they were increasing the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
More than 530 trucks have been sent into Gaza in the last ten days, according to the World Food Program, which is enough to feed almost half a million people for two weeks. That is significantly less than the 500–600 that came in every day prior to the war.
Additionally, the WFP announced that it has reopened 26 distribution points throughout Gaza and intends to quickly increase to its previous 145 locations.
Locals reported that after militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel retaliated with strikes that killed scores of Palestinians, prices for necessities skyrocketed on Sunday. Israel also said it would stop providing aid.
A package of flour weighing 25 kilograms (55 pounds) was selling for over $70 on Sunday at a market in the central city of Deir al-Balah, up from around $12 just after the ceasefire. The cost was about $30 by Tuesday.
One resident of Khan Younis, Mohamed al-Faqawi, charged that traders were exploiting the dangerous security situation. “They’re taking advantage of us,” he claimed.
Hamas claimed that its security forces conducted raids on stores throughout Gaza on Monday, closing some and causing vendors to reduce their prices. Additionally, Hamas has prevented delivery looting and permitted rescue trucks to travel in safety.
The leader of the private truckers’ union in Gaza, Nahed Sheheiber, claimed that since the ceasefire began, there has been no aid theft.
However, Gaza’s financial system is in ruins, and there are still other major issues. Since almost all bank branches and ATMs are closed, people must pay astronomical commissions to a network of cash brokers in order to obtain funds for everyday needs.
Deir al-Balah residents were denied access to their money on Tuesday after standing in line for hours.
Kamilia Al-Ajez stated, “It doesn’t matter that the prices (in the market) have dropped if the bank is closed and there is no money.”.
According to Gaza doctors, bodies with evidence of torture were returned.
Some Palestinian bodies returned by Israel had “evidence of torture,” according to a senior health official in Gaza, who also called for a UN investigation.
Dr. Late Monday, Muneer al-Boursh, the general director of the health ministry, posted on social media that some people had broken limbs and deep wounds and showed signs of being bound with metal shackles and ropes.
Whether any of the bodies had been inmates was not immediately apparent; they are returned without identification or information about their cause of death. The bodies might be those of Palestinian prisoners who perished while in Israeli custody or those removed from Gaza by Israeli forces during the conflict.
According to the Israel Prisons Service, which has complied with legal requirements and offered medical attention and “adequate living conditions,” inmates have not been mistreated. “.”.
Metal shackles and harsh living conditions, such as frequent beatings and starvation, have also been reported by Israeli hostages who were freed from Gaza.
In the war-starting 2023 attack on Israel, militants led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and took 251 hostages.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count, claims that over 68,000 Palestinians have died in the Israel-Hamas conflict. U.S. officials view the ministry’s comprehensive casualty records as generally trustworthy. “N.”. agencies and impartial specialists. Israel has refuted them without offering a toll of its own.
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