US Vice President Jay De Vance expressed “great optimism” that the Gaza ceasefire will hold, hours before a meeting on Wednesday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Vance is in Israel to support the US-brokered truce and promote post-war reconstruction plans for Gaza, AFP notes.

Vance is optimistic

Despite Israeli concerns that Hamas has taken advantage of the truce to reassert its rule in Gaza, Vance said Washington would not set a deadline for the group’s demilitarization under the US-brokered deal.

This came after US President Donald Trump warned that allies in the region would invade Gaza to eliminate Hamas if it did not comply with the ceasefire.

“What we saw last week makes me very optimistic that the truce will hold,” Vance said during a news conference in Kiryat Gat, where a US-led mission is overseeing the truce in Gaza.

“I think we should all be proud of where we are today. It will take constant effort. It will require constant monitoring and supervision,” he added.

Vance will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Jerusalem to discuss the truce amid tensions, with Hamas saying it needs time and technical assistance to find the remaining dead Israeli hostages under the rubble of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Sunday saw the heaviest hostilities since the start of the ceasefire. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, prompting a series of reprisals, including airstrikes.

Before Vance’s arrival, Trump issued a stern warning to Hamas.

“Many of our NOW MAJOR ALLIES in and around the Middle East … have informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to enter Gaza with large forces and ‘straighten out Hamas’ if Hamas continues to misbehave,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.

“Very, very fragile”

Inaugurating a joint US-Israel Center for the Coordination of Political and Military Affairs in southwestern Israel, Vance endorsed the disarmament of Hamas but played down Israel’s pressure to set a specific deadline.

“I’m not going to do what the president of the United States has so far refused to do, which is to set a clear deadline, because a lot of these issues are difficult,” he said.

Vance also said that no US forces would be sent to Gaza, but that the United States would engage in “useful coordination”.

The future of Hamas is a key point of contention, as the ceasefire agreement excludes the organization’s role in Gaza.

Israel has accused Hamas of violating the terms of the truce, although the group has repeatedly said it is committed to abiding by the agreement.

However, it has resisted the idea of ​​disarmament and has moved to reassert control over Gaza’s streets since the start of the ceasefire, clashing with armed factions.

“The only thing stopping Israel from further destroying Gaza is Trump,” said Mairav ​​Zonszein, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“Netanyahu says certain things to please Trump, but he does other things, and the truce is very, very fragile,” he noted.

Zonszein added that the future of Hamas “is still something of great concern to Israelis.”

Despite the clashes, Hamas continued to hand over the remains of dead hostages in small numbers as part of the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli military announced Wednesday that the bodies of two more hostages returned the previous day had been identified.

Before that, Hamas had handed over 13 of the 28 bodies of hostages it had pledged to return under the deal, but said the search was being hampered by the level of destruction in the area.

The Red Cross said it had facilitated the transfer of the bodies of 15 Palestinians from Israel to Gaza on Tuesday as part of the deal, bringing the total number to 165.

Hamas is optimistic about the truce

The leader of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Haya, who is in Cairo for talks with Egypt and Qatar, issued a statement expressing confidence that the truce would hold.

“What we have heard from the mediators and from the US president assures us that the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip is over,” al-Haya said.