— Vice President JD Vance and top Trump administration officials projected cautious optimism Tuesday about the fragile Gaza ceasefire, announcing the opening of a new U.S.-Israel coordination center aimed at cementing a lasting peace after two years of brutal conflict between Israel and Hamas. The visit, Vance’s first to Israel as vice president, comes amid lingering questions about the long-term viability of the U.S.-backed peace plan and the governance of a war-torn Gaza.

Speaking at a press conference in Kiryat Gat, where the new civilian-military cooperation center is housed, Vance hailed the ceasefire’s early progress as exceeding expectations. “We are one week into President Trump’s historic peace plan in the Middle East, and things are going, frankly, better than I expected,” Vance said, flanked by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key architect of the deal.

Witkoff echoed the sentiment, noting, “We are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time.”

The ceasefire, a 20-point plan brokered by the Trump administration, has faced challenges, with recent flare-ups of violence instigated by Hamas attacks, raising concerns about its durability. Vance pushed back against what he called a “weird attitude” in Western media, which he accused of prematurely declaring the peace plan’s collapse with every skirmish.

“It’s not the end,” he insisted. “This is exactly how this is going to have to happen when you have people who hate each other, who have been fighting against each other for a very long time.”

The new coordination center in Kiryat Gat, described by Kushner as a “startup” for deconfliction and reconstruction efforts, symbolizes the U.S. and Israel’s joint commitment to rebuilding Gaza and ensuring security without American troops on the ground.

“Here, you have Israelis and Americans working hand-in-hand to try to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, to implement a long-term peace, and to ensure that you have security forces, not composed of Americans, who can keep the peace over the long term,” Vance said.

Kushner, who has played a central role in negotiations, emphasized that no reconstruction funds would flow to areas under Hamas control, a pledge aimed at isolating the militant group. “There are considerations happening now in the area that the IDF controls,” he said, referring to the roughly half of Gaza under Israeli military oversight.

He outlined a vision for a “new Gaza” that could offer Palestinians jobs and stability, but warned that progress hinges on Hamas’ disarmament and cooperation.The ceasefire’s long-term success remains uncertain, with critical issues unresolved, including who will govern Gaza and whether Hamas will relinquish its weapons.

Vance underscored that disarming Hamas, a key condition of the peace plan, will “take a little bit of time.” He warned that failure to comply could lead to dire consequences, echoing Trump’s stark rhetoric: “If Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then as the president has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated.”

Vance also addressed the delicate issue of foreign troop presence, particularly in response to questions about Turkey’s potential role in postwar Gaza. While acknowledging Ankara’s “constructive” contributions, he stressed that any deployment of foreign forces on Israeli soil would require Jerusalem’s explicit consent.

“What troops are on the ground in Israel is going to be a question the Israelis have to agree to,” Vance said, nodding to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s likely influence over such decisions.

The recovery of the 15 remaining deceased hostages in Gaza, another priority of the ceasefire agreement, remains a daunting challenge. “Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some, nobody even knows where they are,” Vance said, tempering expectations but affirming the commitment to continue the effort.

Kushner praised “surprisingly strong coordination” between Israel and the United Nations on humanitarian aid delivery, but acknowledged the need to ensure aid reaches civilians and not Hamas. The coordination center, he said, is central to this mission, serving as a hub for de-escalation and reconstruction planning.

Vance credited Israel and regional partners, including Gulf Arab states, Indonesia, and Turkey, for their support in advancing the peace plan.

“The Israeli government has been remarkably helpful,” he said, while Kushner noted the rapid buy-in from international partners eager to join the effort. “People really want to be a part of this, and it’s just happening very, very quickly,” Kushner said.

Despite the optimism, both officials acknowledged the road ahead is long. “This is going to take a very, very long time,” Vance said, urging patience as the U.S. and its allies navigate the transition from warfare to peace.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)