Israel-Hamas ceasefire: US VP Vance 'optimistic' about ongoing deal but warns Hamas of 'very bad things' if it doesn't comply

US Vice-president JD Vance has played down the concerns regarding the feasibility of tense Hamas-Israel peace deal which was announced on October 10 after two years of conflict. Vance is currently in Israel where he made the comments about US President Donald Trump mediated ceasefire deal. The US VP, however, declined to put a timeline on things like hostage exchange in his comments but warned Hamas of 'very bad things' if they were to backtrack on the deal. While there's been no major breach of ceasefire since the announcement, a violent clash had erupted in Gaza in which two IDF soldiers had died along with dozens in Gaza.

Vance optimistic about peace deal but warns Hamas

“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 United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult,” Vance said at a new conference on Tuesday (Oct 21) in Israel. “What we’ve seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold. I feel very optimistic. Can I say with 100% certainty that it’s going to work? No,” he added about the deal.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

The US-mediated deal for the conflict which started on October 7, 2023, was struck on October 10, after which the exchange of hostages and bodies began. After the announcement of the ceasefire, Israel has so far returned 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, along with the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage's remains. Hamas, on the other hand, has released all 20 alive hostages along with 13 dead bodies as well, leaving 15 bodies with Hamas so far.