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United States vice president JD Vance has said he has “great optimism” the Gaza truce would hold, during a visit to Israel aimed at shoring up the ceasefire, with the US piling pressure on Hamas.
It came as Hamas said it had handed over the body of another Israeli hostage on Monday and two more on Tuesday.
Israel said the bodies, which were received in two coffins via the Red Cross, were awaiting identification.
In a sign of the fragility of the agreement, Vance said the US would not set a deadline for Hamas to disarm as required under the terms of the deal.

Amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Hamas, suggesting that allied nations in the region are prepared to intervene in Gaza should the group fail to adhere to a ceasefire agreement. This development comes as the fragile truce faces challenges, with Hamas expressing a need for more time and technical support to locate remaining Israeli hostages trapped beneath the rubble in Gaza.

“What we’ve seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold,” Vance said on Tuesday during a press conference in Kiryat Gat, a city in southern Israel where a US-led mission is monitoring the Gaza ceasefire.
“I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today. It’s going to require constant effort. It’s going to require constant monitoring and supervision,” he said.
According to Israeli media reports, Vance was due to meet Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

President Trump took to his Truth Social platform to convey that numerous allied nations in and around the Middle East have expressed readiness to enter Gaza with significant force if necessary. He noted that these countries are eager to “straighten out” Hamas should the group continue to act contrary to the truce’s terms.

There was the worst outbreak of violence since the start of the truce on the weekend, with Israel launching strikes after two of its soldiers were killed.
Before Vance’s arrival, Trump gave a stark warning to Hamas.

“Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have … informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and ‘straighten our [sic] Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

More hostage bodies returned

The body of another Israeli hostage was handed over to Israel late on Monday, followed by two more on Tuesday, Hamas said.

Israel said the latest remains were awaiting identification.

A further 13 bodies remain in Gaza.
Israel had pressured Hamas to return bodies sooner, but has since recognised the process of locating and retrieving remains could take time.
Israel handed back another 15 bodies of Palestinian captives on Tuesday, local health authorities said, taking the total it has returned to Gaza to 165.
Inside the enclave, more aid flowed through two Israeli-controlled crossings, Palestinian and United Nations officials said.
But aid agencies have said far more needs to be brought in.
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