JD Vance Headed to Israel to Advance Phase Two of Trump’s Gaza Peace Deal
Vice President JD Vance will travel to Israel on Tuesday to spearhead the next stage of President Donald Trump’s historic Gaza peace plan, just as the fragile ceasefire shows signs of strain following renewed violence from Hamas terrorists.
Vance’s visit, alongside U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, comes after two Israeli soldiers were killed on Sunday in Rafah when Hamas militants emerged from a tunnel and launched an anti-tank rocket — a direct violation of the ceasefire deal that has largely held since being brokered by Trump earlier this month.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces conducted around 20 airstrikes on targets across Gaza. While Hamas did not deny responsibility for the attack, the group claimed the attackers acted independently and not under leadership orders.
“We are not aware of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, because these are zones under Israeli control, and contact has been severed with our groups that remained there,” Hamas said in a statement.
Beyond Sunday’s violence, Hamas remains in violation of phase one of the agreement, having failed to return the bodies of all deceased Israeli hostages. Roughly half still remain in Gaza, with Hamas claiming more time is needed to locate them.
The U.S. State Department also flagged fresh violations over the weekend, alerting guarantor nations of the peace deal to what it called “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”
Those violations appear to involve brutal crackdowns by Hamas on the civilian population. Multiple videos have surfaced showing militants publicly executing or torturing Gazans in violation of the peace accord. One particularly graphic clip reportedly shows Hamas fighters smashing a man’s legs with rocks and beating him with a pipe.
Despite the violence, Trump remains firm in his expectation that Hamas will disarm — or be disarmed.
“They promised they would. They said they would. It’s written down that they would,” Trump said Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “If we have to, we’ll disarm them.”
He clarified that American boots will not be deployed in Gaza, but that other actors may take the lead.
“Could be Israel with our backing. We won’t have boots on the ground. There’s no reason to,” Trump stated.
Vance echoed that sentiment in remarks on Sunday night, acknowledging that enforcement of the disarmament clause remains the primary obstacle to progressing into phase two of the deal.
“There is no security infrastructure currently that would ensure Hamas is disarmed,” Vance said, adding that regional partners would likely be needed to help establish long-term enforcement mechanisms.
Vance’s trip to Israel signals that the Trump administration is determined to hold all parties accountable to the 20-point peace plan, even as rogue elements within Hamas attempt to derail it. The next phase of the agreement is expected to involve international oversight of demilitarization, economic support for Palestinian civilians, and increased security cooperation with Israel and allied Arab states.
Despite the setbacks, Trump officials maintain that the broader ceasefire remains in effect and that Hamas will either comply — or face consequences.