- There are not going to be American boots on the ground in Gaza. The President of the United States has made that very clear. All of our military leadership has made that very clear,” Vance said during a press briefing in Israel.
- Washington’s role will be limited to “useful coordination” and logistical support, without direct military involvement.
US Vice-President JD Vance said he believes the Gaza peace plan “is going to last,” urging Israelis and the international community to show patience as efforts continue to recover the bodies of hostages held by Hamas.
Speaking to reporters in Israel, Vance acknowledged growing frustration among the families of Israeli hostages over the slow pace of returns but called for “a little bit of patience,” emphasizing the complexity of the task, dw.com reports.
“Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are,” Vance said. “It’s just a reason to counsel in favor of a little bit of patience.”
He noted that “a lot of this work is very hard” and urged flexibility as the ceasefire and peace plan between Israel and Hamas proceed under challenging conditions.
Hamas has so far released 13 bodies of hostages who were held in Gaza for the past two years, as part of the ongoing ceasefire arrangement in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Vance reiterated President Donald Trump’s warning that Hamas would be “obliterated” if it fails to cooperate with the terms of the peace deal.
Vance also stressed that the United States has no plans to deploy troops in Gaza, echoing President Trump’s stance.
“There are not going to be American boots on the ground in Gaza. The President of the United States has made that very clear. All of our military leadership has made that very clear,” Vance said during a press briefing in Israel.
He added that Washington’s role would be limited to “useful coordination” and logistical support, without direct military involvement.
When asked about a timeline for Hamas’ disarmament under the Gaza deal, Vance said no specific deadline had been set.
“We know that Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn’t, very bad things are going to happen,” he said. “But I’m not going to do what the President has refused to do — which is put an explicit deadline on it — because a lot of this stuff is difficult.”
