Vice President JD Vance, speaking Tuesday at Israel’s new Civilian Military Cooperation Center, issued a stern warning to Hamas as the site works to uphold the historic ceasefire.
“The terms of the 20 point plan that the president put out there is very clear. It’s supported not just by Israel, by, but by all of our Gulf Arab friends. It’s that Hamas has to disarm. It’s that Hamas has to actually behave itself and that Hamas, while all the fighters can be given some sort of clemency, they’re not going to be able to kill each other, and they’re not going to be able to kill their fellow Palestinians,” Vance said. “Right now, where I stand, I feel confident that we’re going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it’s durable, and if Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then, as the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated.”
Vance’s warning followed President Trump’s own, declaring Hamas would face a “fast, furious and brutal” end if it violated the ceasefire. Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday, Trump vowed Hamas would be eradicated if it broke the deal, echoing warnings he’s repeated since the truce began last week.
The vice president also repeated a a key commitment of Trump’s: “There are going to be no American boots on the ground in Gaza.”
Alongside his warning to Hamas, Vance criticized the media’s “desire to root for failure,” emphasizing that minor setbacks don’t signal the deal’s collapse.
“Every time something bad happens and every time that there’s an act of violence, there’s this inclination to say, ‘Oh, this is the end of the ceasefire. This is the end of the peace plan.’ It’s not the end. It is, in fact, exactly how this is going to have to happen when you have people who hate each other, who have been fighting against each other for a very long time. We are doing very well. We are in a very good place,” Vance said before complimenting the team working to implement the Gaza deal.
Vance urged Hamas to disarm as required by the deal but declined to set a specific deadline—just as President Trump has avoided doing.
“The president actually put out a Truth [Social] this morning that I thought was very instructive. We know that Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn’t comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen. But I’m not going to do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult. A lot of this stuff is unpredictable,” the vice president said.
Vance said he hopes to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by Christians to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. In closing, he expressed faith in God’s providence and confidence that “the job can be done.”
“I know that Christians have many titles for Jesus Christ, and one of them is the Prince of Peace. And I’d ask all people of faith, in particular my fellow Christians, to pray that the Prince of Peace can continue to work a miracle in this region of the world. I think that we have made incredible strides over the past week. We’re going to have to make a lot more. But I think with your prayers, with God’s providence and with a very good team behind me, I think we’re gonna get it done,” Vance said.
Jared Kushner, attending the news conference, discussed Gaza reconstruction and progress under the ceasefire deal, noting “surprisingly strong coordination between the United Nations and Israel” in delivering aid. He added that efforts are advancing to recover the remains of all hostages held in Gaza.
