JD Vance has landed in Israel – ceasefire “fragile”
Published 18.13
The ceasefire in Gaza is balancing on a thin line.
New fighting broke out over the weekend and tensions are rising again.
Now US Vice President JD Vance has landed in Israel for what is described as an attempt to save a “fragile” ceasefire.
The world celebrated when Donald Trump signed his own peace plan for Gaza on site in Egypt.
But after two weeks there are already signs that the peace plan is hanging by a thread.
US Vice President JD Vance has now landed in Israel to discuss the state of the ceasefire after new fighting broke out in Gaza over the weekend.
New bombings
During the visit, JD Vance will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The New York Times reports. They will then discuss the ceasefire and security issues in the area.
The trip has been described as an initiative to make the ceasefire last after both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the terms.
On Sunday, Israeli soldiers were fired on in Rafah in southern Gaza and two soldiers were killed. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes. Israeli troops have previously also attacked Palestinians they believed crossed a line in Gaza to which Israeli forces had withdrawn.
During a press conference at the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump warned that he would allow Israeli forces to eradicate Hamas if the violence does not stop.
Expected to pressure Netanyahu
Much remains to be done for both sides to meet the terms of the ceasefire.
Speaking in Israel on Tuesday, Vance said that implementing the peace plan will “take a very long time.”
Hamas has not yet handed over all the bodies of those killed in the hostage crisis, and Israel has responded by continuing to close the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. It has also stopped emergency aid to Gaza.
According to The Guardian, the vice president is expected to press Netanyahu to begin talks on longer-term goals and a permanent end to the war.
During a press conference, Vance said he was confident that the peace plan would hold.
– Israelis and Americans are working hand in hand to try to launch the plan to rebuild Gaza, implement a long-term peace and actually ensure that there are security forces on the ground in Gaza, not made up of Americans, who can maintain the peace in the long term.
On Tuesday evening, Hamas announced that two more bodies from deceased hostages will be returned to Israel, Sky News reports.
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