Vice President Ban says that things are going better than he expected and that he's confident that the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas will hold up. For now, both sides say they're committed to the deal despite some violent flare-ups in recent days. President Donald Trump said on social media Tuesday that he told Israel and other countries not to respond with force, adding, quote, There is still hope that Hamas will do what is. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be fast, furious, and brutal. Israel is still waiting on Hamas to return some deceased hostages, although the remains of at least two more bodies were handed over today. The vice president urged patience on this part of the agreement, noting that some remains are buried under rubble. He declined to set *** specific deadline for their return or for Hamas to disarm. My point is I don't think it's actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in *** week because *** lot of this work is very hard. It's never been done before and in order for us to give it *** chance to succeed, we've got to be *** little bit flexible. Vice President Ban says that their immediate focus here is to ramp up humanitarian aid into. Enhanced security within Gaza through the ultimate creation of an international security force. The vice president says that right now they are starting to conceptualize what exactly that security force will look like, but he did emphasize that American troops will not be on the ground within Gaza. Reporting at the White House, I'm Jackie DeFusco.
Vice President Vance optimistic about Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Vice President J.D. Vance said the ceasefire is going better than he expected, despite some violent flare-ups over the weekend.
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Updated: 8:31 PM CDT Oct 21, 2025
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Vice President J.D. Vance expressed confidence that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will hold. He said things are going better than he expected, despite some violent incidents over the weekend. "There are going to be hills and valleys. There are going to be moments where it looks like things aren't going particularly well," Vance said Tuesday during a visit to Israel, his first as vice president. "Given the history of the conflict, I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today."Both sides have said they're committed to the deal, although tensions have flared in recent days. In a social media post, President Donald Trump said he has urged Israel and other countries not to respond with "heavy force.""I told these countries, and Israel,“NOT YET!” There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL," Trump said. Israel is still waiting for Hamas to return some deceased hostages, but the remains of two bodies were handed over on Tuesday, according to the Israeli military. Vance urged patience on this step, noting that some remains are buried under rubble and difficult to find. He declined to set a specific deadline for their return or for Hamas to disarm, another key part of the U.S.-led peace plan."My point is, I don't think it's actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in a week because a lot of this work is very hard. It's never been done before, and in order for us to give it a chance to succeed, we've got to be a little bit flexible," Vance said.Vance said that, in the immediate future, their focus is on facilitating humanitarian aid and enhancing security in Gaza through the creation of an international security force. He said they're beginning to conceptualize what this security force will look like, but emphasized that American troops will not be on the ground inside the enclave. “Once we’ve got to a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then we’ll worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is," Vance said. More from the Washington Bureau:
WASHINGTON — Vice President J.D. Vance expressed confidence that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will hold. He said things are going better than he expected, despite some violent incidents over the weekend.
"There are going to be hills and valleys. There are going to be moments where it looks like things aren't going particularly well," Vance said Tuesday during a visit to Israel, his first as vice president. "Given the history of the conflict, I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today."
Both sides have said they're committed to the deal, although tensions have flared in recent days.
In a President Donald Trump said he has urged Israel and other countries not to respond with "heavy force."
"I told these countries, and Israel,“NOT YET!” There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL," Trump said.
Israel is still waiting for Hamas to return some deceased hostages, but the remains of two bodies were handed over on Tuesday, according to the Israeli military.
Vance urged patience on this step, noting that some remains are buried under rubble and difficult to find. He declined to set a specific deadline for their return or for Hamas to disarm, another key part of the U.S.-led peace plan.
"My point is, I don't think it's actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in a week because a lot of this work is very hard. It's never been done before, and in order for us to give it a chance to succeed, we've got to be a little bit flexible," Vance said.
Vance said that, in the immediate future, their focus is on facilitating humanitarian aid and enhancing security in Gaza through the creation of an international security force. He said they're beginning to conceptualize what this security force will look like, but emphasized that American troops will not be on the ground inside the enclave.
“Once we’ve got to a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then we’ll worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is," Vance said.
More from the Washington Bureau:
