US pushes plan to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza

US Vice-President J.D. Vance warned on Oct 22 of the tough task ahead in disarming Hamas and building a peaceful future for Gaza, as Washington sought to reassure its ally Israel over the next steps in its ambitious ceasefire deal.

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US Vice-President J.D. Vance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Oct 22. He is in Israel to support the US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas fighting, recover hostages and rebuild Gaza.

(AFP)

Mr Vance met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the second day of a trip to Israel, part of a diplomatic blitz in support of the US-brokered plan to end the fighting in Gaza, recover hostages and, eventually, rebuild the devastated Palestinian territory.

“We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza, to make life better for the people of Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel,” Mr Vance said.

Washington’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is due in Israel on Oct 23 and will meet Mr Netanyahu on Oct 24, an Israeli government spokeswoman said.

Mr Vance had kicked off the three-day visit on Oct 21 by opening the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in southwest Israel, where US and allied troops will work with Israeli forces to monitor the truce and to oversee aid to Gaza.

“A lot of our Israeli friends (are) working together with a lot of Americans to actually mediate this entire ceasefire process, to get some of the critical infrastructure off the ground,” Mr Vance said after talks with Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Mr Vance cited an “international security force” as one of the bodies that would have to be set up.