US Vice President visits Israel as part of US efforts to strengthen Gaza ceasefire

US Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Israel as part of US efforts to strengthen the Gaza ceasefire agreement. It is reported that he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss a long-term peace deal with Hamas. 

Vance is accompanied by two US special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who played a role in drafting the ceasefire agreement. Earlier, they met with Netanyahu on Monday.

The 12-day ceasefire was threatened when renewed violence broke out on Sunday. Israel claimed that two Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack, followed by dozens of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes.

However, President Donald Trump said on Monday that the ceasefire was still in effect. He warned that if Hamas breaks the agreement, they will be wiped out.

The BBC reported that President Donald Trump has sent the US vice president and two special envoys to Israel to continue the ceasefire agreement and begin talks on the second important phase of the 20-point Gaza peace plan.

The second phase of the ceasefire agreement includes the formation of an interim government in the Gaza Strip, the deployment of international peacekeepers, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the disarmament of Hamas.

JD Vance, Witkoff and Kushner are visiting Israel to ensure that the ceasefire agreement, which is based on the first phase of the peace plan, does not collapse.

The New York Times reported, citing US officials, that they fear that the Israeli prime minister may withdraw from the agreement and resume full-scale attacks against Hamas.

In a speech to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on Monday, Netanyahu said he would discuss security challenges and political opportunities with Vance. He said Israeli forces dropped 153 tons of bombs on Gaza in response to Hamas' clear ceasefire violations on Sunday.

"We have weapons in one hand, the other hand is outstretched for peace. You make peace with the strong, not with the weak. Today, Israel is stronger than ever before," he said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said two soldiers were killed in a Hamas anti-tank missile attack on Sunday. At least 45 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in response.

Israel later said it was reimposing a ceasefire. Hamas also said it would abide by the agreement. However, four more Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling in eastern Gaza City on Monday.

Hamas's chief negotiator in Cairo, Khalil al-Hayya, said the message we received from the mediator and the US president reassured us that the war in Gaza was over.

He added that Hamas was determined to return all the dead hostages, despite the delay due to problems recovering bodies from under the rubble.

Overnight, Israel confirmed that Hamas had handed over the body of another Israeli hostage through the Red Cross. The deceased was Tal Haimi, 41, who was killed in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

So far, the bodies of 13 of the 28 dead hostages in Gaza have been returned. Last week, 20 surviving hostages were released in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

About 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 hostages were taken in the armed attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said that at least 68,216 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli offensive began.