U.S. Vice President JD Vance and different envoys projected optimism on Tuesday (October 22, 2025) about Gaza’s fragile ceasefire settlement, calling progress higher than anticipated as they visited a brand new middle in Israel for civilian and navy cooperation.

Mr. Vance famous flare-ups of violence in current days however stated the ceasefire that started on Oct. 10 goes “higher than I anticipated” after two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that “we’re exceeding the place we thought we might be at the moment.” They are in Israel as questions stay over the long-term plan for peace, together with whether or not Hamas will disarm, when and the way a world safety power will deploy to Gaza and who will govern the territory after the conflict.

Mr. Vance tried to downplay any concept that his go to — his first as vp — was urgently organized to maintain the ceasefire in place. He stated he feels “assured that we will be in a spot the place this peace lasts,” however warned that if Hamas does not cooperate, it is going to be “obliterated.”

ared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and one of many architects of the ceasefire settlement, famous its complexity: “Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture.”

Mr. Vance is anticipated to remain within the area till Thursday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and different officers.

On Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu fired his nationwide safety adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, however gave no motive for the choice. Israeli media stated Hanegbi had opposed the renewal of Israel’s Gaza offensive in March, and Israel’s failed try to assassinate Hamas’ management in an airstrike in Qatar in September. In a press release, Hanegbi famous “instances of disagreement” with Mr. Netanyahu.

Hamas says stays of two extra hostages recovered Hamas stated it had recovered the stays of two extra hostages and deliberate at hand them over Tuesday night.

Mr. Vance urged a “little little bit of endurance” amid Israeli frustration with Hamas’ tempo of the returns.

“Some of those hostages are buried underneath hundreds of kilos of rubble. Some of the hostages, no one even is aware of the place they’re,” Mr. Vance stated.

As he confronted journalists’ questions over the ceasefire’s subsequent steps, he stated “loads of this work could be very arduous” and urged flexibility.

“Once we have got to a degree the place each the Gazans and our Israeli mates can have some measure of safety, then we’ll fear about what the long-term governance of Gaza is,” he said. “Let’s give attention to safety, rebuilding, giving folks some meals and medication.”

Although some 200 U.S. troops had been just lately despatched to Israel, Mr. Vance emphasised that they’d not be on the bottom in Gaza. But he stated officers are starting to “conceptualise what that international security force would look like” for the territory.

He talked about Turkey and Indonesia as international locations anticipated to take part. The flags of Jordan, Germany, Britain and Denmark had been on the stage the place he spoke.

While the ceasefire has been examined by preventing and mutual accusations of violations, each Israel and Hamas have stated they’re dedicated to the deal.

Under the phrases of the ceasefire, Israel is ready for Hamas to show over the our bodies of 15 remaining hostages. Thirteen others have been turned over.

Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian our bodies for the stays of every useless hostage, in response to Gaza’s Health Ministry, a part of the Hamas-run authorities. It stated Tuesday that Israel had thus far transferred 165 our bodies since earlier this month.

Aid into Gaza will increase, whereas costs rise International organizations stated they had been scaling up humanitarian help coming into Gaza, whereas Hamas-led safety forces launched a crackdown in opposition to what it referred to as worth gouging by personal retailers.

The World Food Program stated it had despatched greater than 530 vans into Gaza up to now 10 days, sufficient to feed practically half 1,000,000 folks for 2 weeks. That’s effectively underneath the five hundred to 600 that entered every day earlier than the conflict.

The WFP additionally stated it had reinstated 26 distribution factors and hopes to scale as much as its earlier 145 factors throughout Gaza as quickly as doable.

Residents stated costs for important items soared on Sunday after militants killed two Israeli troopers and Israel responded with strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians. Israel additionally threatened to halt humanitarian help.

At a market within the central metropolis of Deir al-Balah, a 25-kilogram (55-pound) bundle of flour was promoting for greater than $70 on Sunday, up from about $12 shortly after the ceasefire. By Tuesday, the worth was round $30.

Mohamed al-Faqawi, a Khan Younis resident, accused retailers of benefiting from the perilous safety scenario. “They are exploiting us,” he stated.

On Monday, Hamas stated its safety forces raided retailers throughout Gaza, closing some and forcing retailers to decrease costs. Hamas additionally has allowed help vans to maneuver safely and halted looting of deliveries.

Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza’s personal truckers’ union, stated there was no stealing help because the ceasefire began.

But different vital challenges stay as Gaza’s monetary system is in tatters. With practically each financial institution department and ATM inoperable, folks pay exorbitant commissions to a community of money brokers to get cash for every day bills.

On Tuesday, dozens of individuals in Deir al-Balah spent hours in line on the Bank of Palestine hoping to entry their cash however had been turned away.

“Without having the financial institution open and with out cash, it doesn’t matter that the costs (out there) have dropped,” stated Kamilia Al-Ajez.

Gaza medical doctors say our bodies returned with indicators of torture

A senior well being official in Gaza stated some our bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel bore “proof of torture” and referred to as for a United Nations-launched investigation.

Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, the ministry’s normal director, stated in on social media late Monday that some had proof of being certain with ropes and metallic shackles, blindfolds, deep wounds, abrasions, burns and crushed limbs.

It was not instantly clear if any of the our bodies had been prisoners; they’re returned with out identifications or particulars on how they died. The our bodies may embody Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or our bodies taken out of Gaza by Israeli troops through the conflict.

The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying it had adopted authorized procedures and offered medical care and “ample residing situations.”

Israeli hostages launched from Gaza have additionally reported metallic shackles and harsh situations, together with frequent beatings and hunger.

In the preliminary 2023 assault on Israel, Hamas-led militants killed round 1,200 folks, largely civilians, and kidnapped 251 folks as hostages.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has killed greater than 68,000 Palestinians, in response to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its depend. The ministry maintains detailed casualty data which can be seen as typically dependable by U.N. businesses and unbiased consultants. Israel has disputed them with out offering its personal toll.