JD Vance Heads to Israel as Hamas Violates Ceasefire

Vice President JD Vance will travel to Israel on Tuesday to help reinforce the second phase of the Trump administration’s Gaza peace plan, even as Hamas continues to violate the terms of the ceasefire through violence, deception, and internal chaos.

The trip comes on the heels of a deadly attack over the weekend in Rafah, where Hamas militants killed two Israeli soldiers with anti-tank rockets after emerging from a tunnel in Israeli-controlled territory. Israel swiftly responded with a wave of approximately 20 airstrikes, targeting terrorist infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.

While Hamas attempted to deflect blame claiming the attackers were a rogue faction the group has failed to meet even the most basic requirements of the agreement:

• They have not returned all the bodies of Israeli hostages as required in phase one of the deal.

• They continue to execute and torture Gazans, with disturbing videos showing militants beating civilians and crushing limbs with rocks and metal pipes.

• They remain heavily armed, and have made no meaningful move to disarm despite promising to do so.

“They promised they would disarm,” President Trump said on Sunday. “It’s written down that they would. If we have to, we’ll disarm them.”

Trump made it clear that U.S. troops would not be sent into Gaza, but reaffirmed that Hamas will be disarmed one way or another.

“Could be Israel with our backing,” Trump explained. “We won’t have boots on the ground. There’s no reason to.”

According to the U.S. State Department, credible intelligence now points to an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas not against Israel, but against the people of Gaza themselves. As Hamas consolidates its power, it is brutally cracking down on civilians, further proving it is less a governing body and more a terror syndicate holding 2 million Gazans hostage.

Vice President Vance, who is expected to be joined by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, said Sunday night that one of the main challenges moving forward is disarming Hamas while ensuring a sustainable local security structure.

“There is no security infrastructure currently that would ensure Hamas is disarmed,” Vance admitted, signaling that regional cooperation particularly from Gulf Arab states will be crucial.

The Trump administration’s plan for Gaza rests on two unshakable pillars:

• Complete disarmament of Hamas

• Establishment of order through regional partnerships

Anything short of that is a recipe for more bloodshed and more betrayal from a terror group that’s shown time and again it cannot be trusted.

The Biden administration let chaos in the Middle East spiral out of control through weakness, appeasement, and strategic incoherence. Under Trump and Vance, the U.S. is returning to peace through strength setting clear terms and demanding accountability.

If Hamas won’t disarm voluntarily, they’ll be disarmed by force. But make no mistake: this time, there won’t be American boots cleaning up the mess. It will be done the right way and on Trump’s terms.

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