A continuing American movement to advance the Gaza agreement news

The United States of America has intensified its efforts to move forward with the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Israel, where US Vice President J.D. Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are currently present.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Rubio will arrive in Israel tomorrow, Thursday, for a two-day visit.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the US Vice President will discuss today, Wednesday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza – the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza Agreement.

Yesterday, Vance announced the opening of the Civil Military Cooperation Center for the Reconstruction of Gaza, and said that the implementation of Trump’s plan regarding Gaza is going better than expected.

He stressed that Washington has not yet set a deadline for Hamas to hand over its weapons, and pointed out that the peace plan stipulates that “Hamas must give up its weapons and act responsibly,” considering that “this will take some time, but if the weapons are disarmed, there is a better future for everyone.”

He added that work is underway to deploy a force in Gaza to maintain security, but the step will take time, stressing that “there will be no American forces on the ground in Gaza.”

Vance’s statements came after US President Donald Trump confirmed that his country’s allies are ready to send forces to the Gaza Strip to “discipline” Hamas “if it continues to behave badly, in violation of its agreement with us.”

But Trump indicated that he had informed Israel and Washington’s regional allies that “the time has not yet come” for a new confrontation with Hamas.

Israeli violation

The American moves come after Israel violated the ceasefire agreement, and launched raids on Sunday that were the most violent since the agreement took effect on October 10.

Vance explained, “Every time there are acts of violence, there are those who say: The ceasefire is over, the peace plan is over. But this is not true. Rather, it is what usually happens when there are two hostile parties that have fought a long war.”

For his part, the US President’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said that signing the Gaza Agreement was a challenge, and he considered that the next 30 days are crucial for the Gaza Agreement to enter its second phase.

The second phase includes controversial provisions related to the disarmament of Hamas, management of the Gaza Strip, and the deployment of an international stabilization force, but the agreement did not specify a time frame for implementing this phase. Some provisions of the plan raise questions about the method of implementation and the reservations of Hamas and the mediators.

The Wall Street Journal quoted American officials as saying that Witkopf and Kushner sent a strong message to Netanyahu that Israel must avoid escalation, and stressed the need for Israel’s responses to be proportionate to any violation of the ceasefire.

On the other hand, the head of the Hamas delegation to the negotiations confirmed Khalil Al-Hayya: The movement’s determination “to pursue the agreement to its end.” He said in an interview with Cairo News Channel that Hamas is working to hand over all the bodies of Israeli prisoners.

He added, “We find it extremely difficult (in exhuming bodies) because with the change in the nature of the land” due to the great destruction in the Gaza Strip, exhuming them “requires time and requires large equipment, but with determination and will, we will, God willing, reach the end of this file completely.”

The agreement to stop the war on Gaza was concluded on October 9 in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, with the participation of the United States, after Israel committed genocide against the Palestinians in the Strip over a period of two years.