US Vice President JD Vance described the still fragile ceasefire in Gaza as better than expected, although during his visit to Israel he said that challenges remain, from disarming Hamas to rebuilding a land devastated by two years of war.

The US vice president also mentioned the recent flare-ups in violence, but said the first phase of the so-called “peace plan” pushed by Washington is very good after two years of escalating Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

In short, Vance said from Israel that there will be no US troops “on the ground in Gaza,” but that US forces will be dedicated to “providing useful coordination.”

During his visit to Israel, he visited a new center for civil-military cooperation while questions remain about the long-term peace plan, including when and how an international security force will be deployed in Gaza and who will govern the territory after the war.

Vance tried to play down the idea that his visit had been organized urgently to maintain the ceasefire. He said he was “confident that we will be in a place where this peace endures,” but warned that if Hamas does not cooperate, it will be “annihilated.” Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of the architects of the cease-fire agreement, highlighted its complexity: “Both sides are moving from two years of very intense war to a current posture of peace.” Vance is expected to remain in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. For now, during his visit, Vance asked for “a little bit of patience” amid Israeli frustration with Hamas's peace in returning the hostages. "Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are," Vance said.

Vance's visit coincides with that of the White House special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, are-in-law of US President Donald Trump, who arrived in the country on Monday.