JD Vance arrives in Israel as US pushes for next phase of Gaza ceasefire

Who he’s meeting

Vance is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Wednesday. He is also holding talks with US Middle East envoys and military officials involved in monitoring the truce, Reuters reported.

A senior Israeli official told Reuters that the main goal of Vance’s visit is to “advance discussions to the second phase of the ceasefire.”

Why it matters

The visit follows a series of high-level meetings between Israeli and US officials, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steven Witkoff. At the same time, Hamas representatives are in Cairo holding talks with Egyptian mediators on the future of Gaza and ways to stabilise the truce.

The Associated Press reported Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad also met Netanyahu earlier in the day to discuss efforts to strengthen the ceasefire.

Speaking to Egyptian television, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said the group would continue to observe the truce and fulfil its obligations under the first phase.

“Let their (hostages) bodies return to their families, and let the bodies of our martyrs return to their families to be buried in dignity,” Hayya said, according to Reuters.

The ceasefire, now in its second week, has been marked by repeated accusations of violations from both sides. According to Reuters, Israeli forces and Hamas fighters have clashed near the “yellow line,” an informal boundary marking Israel’s military pullback inside Gaza.

Aid agencies, including the UN World Food Programme, say deliveries have resumed but remain far below what is needed. The WFP told Reuters that supplies “fell far short” of its daily target, as only two crossings into Gaza are currently open.

Since the war began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, around 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, while Gaza’s health authorities say more than 68,000 Palestinians have died.