US Vice President J D Vance remains optimistic over the shaky Gaza ceasefire plan, saying it is going better than expected.
Vance, who is visiting Israel and meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, also held out the prospect of more Gulf states eventually seeking to normalise ties with Israel.
But he warned that Hamas would be obliterated if it did not disarm, echoing a Trump threat earlier in the day of ‘fast, furious and brutal force’.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeated breaches of the truce since it was signed eight days ago, with flashes of violence and recriminations over the pace of returning hostage bodies, bringing in aid and opening borders.
The US and mediators Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye are trying to push towards the far more complicated second phase of talks that asks each side to make concessions.
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