Overview
- Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Israel, said he is highly optimistic the truce will hold, and stressed a U.S.-run command center is monitoring implementation while warning Hamas of severe consequences if it resists disarmament.
- President Donald Trump said regional allies are ready to deploy forces to Gaza to punish Hamas if it violates the agreement, as Hamas announced it would hand over two additional bodies and Israel confirmed the return of a soldier’s remains.
- The current deal has seen 20 hostages released alive and 13 sets of remains returned, short of the 28 remains that were due by October 13, with Hamas citing rubble and equipment needs as obstacles to recovery.
- The cease-fire’s fragility was underscored by Israel’s report of two soldiers killed on Sunday and subsequent airstrikes that Palestinian officials said killed 44 people, even as Israel maintained the agreement remains in effect after U.S. intervention.
- Multiple countries are hesitant to join a Gaza security force due to unclear rules and the risk of confronting Hamas, despite public signals from Turkey and Indonesia, while Israeli politics churned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi, who called for a probe into the October 7 failure.