In brief
US Vice-President JD Vance's visit to Israel is part of an initiative to solidify the ceasefire in Gaza, amid renewed hostilities. He is pushing for negotiations on long-term peace arrangements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Trump emphasizes the importance of the ceasefire and the potential for further action against Hamas if they breach the agreement. Recent violence has put the already tenuous truce at risk, making the timing of these discussions critical.
US Vice-President JD Vance has arrived in Israel as part of the Trump administration's efforts to strengthen the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
He is expected to push the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to start negotiations on long-term issues for a permanent end to the war with Hamas.
The two special US envoys who helped negotiate the deal, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, also held talks with Netanyahu on Monday.
Their visits come after a flare-up of violence on Sunday that threatened to derail the 12-day-old truce. Israel said a Hamas attack killed two soldiers, triggering Israeli air strikes which killed dozens of Palestinians.
US President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that the ceasefire was still on track but warned Hamas that it would be eradicated if it violated the deal.
Trump is said to have dispatched his deputy and envoys to Israel to keep up the momentum and push for the start of talks on the second critical phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan.
It would involve setting up an interim government in the Palestinian territory, deploying an international stabilization force, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and disarmament of Hamas.
Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner are also attempting to ensure the ceasefire deal, based on the first phase of the peace plan, does not collapse.
Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament on Monday that he would discuss security challenges and political opportunities with Vance during his visit. He also insisted that Israeli forces had dropped 153 tonnes of bombs on Gaza in response to a blatant breach of the ceasefire by Hamas.
Despite ongoing tensions, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya stated that the group was committed to upholding the ceasefire agreement, insisting that the war in Gaza is over.
There are significant concerns regarding the ceasefire's stability, especially following the recent outbreak of violence and conflicting statements from both sides about adherence to the agreement.
