TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to shore up the fragile Trump-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, following a burst of deadly violence and questions over how to move forward with the plan for long-term peace. Vance was meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials and is […]
U.S.
Vance arrives in Israel to shore up Gaza’s fragile Trump-brokered ceasefire
Audio By Carbonatix
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to shore up the fragile Trump-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, following a burst of deadly violence and questions over how to move forward with the plan for long-term peace.
Vance was meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday. His visit follows Monday’s arrival of White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son in law. Vance met with them upon landing.
Vance is also expected to meet with families of hostages whose bodies are still held in Gaza and some of the living hostages released last week under the ceasefire. Earlier on Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner met with nine of them.
The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. While it has been tested by fighting on Sunday and mutual accusations of violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal. Trump has made clear he wants it to succeed.
Pressure for the ceasefire’s second phase
The head of Egypt’s intelligence agency, Maj. Gen. Hassan Rashad, traveled to Israel on Tuesday to meet with Netanyahu, Witkoff and other officials over the ceasefire’s implementation, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The high-level meetings highlight the urgency of launching negotiations for the second phase of the U.S. plan.
Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war “ends once and for all.”
Israel identifies another body of a hostage
Israel confirmed Tuesday that Palestinians had released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. He was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border. The 42-year-old was part of the kibbutz’ emergency response team. He had four children, including one born after the attack.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 hostages. Thirteen have been turned over since the ceasefire began.
The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, said Israel transferred the bodies of another 15 Palestinians to Gaza. Under the deal, Israel is releasing 15 bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to the ministry. Israel has returned 165 bodies since earlier this month.
Aid into Gaza increases, and prices rise
International organizations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces launched a crackdown against what it called price gouging by private merchants.
The World Food Program said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. That’s still well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war.
The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points across Gaza as soon as possible.
Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday after militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians. Israel also threatened to halt humanitarian aid.
In the 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages.
The Israel-Hamas war has reportedly killed thousads Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel has disputed the numbers.
PHOTO – Vice President J.D. Vance, right, and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)