Donald Trump and JD Vance (AP)
US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday hailed President Donald Trump’s role in brokering the Gaza peace deal, saying it had united Israel, Gulf Arab nations, and communities across faiths. Vance said the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas was imminent and credited the US administration for making it possible.“It really should be any moment now,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press when asked about the timing for the release. On ABC’s This Week, he added, “We expect to see them alive here in the next 24 hours, probably early tomorrow morning, US time, which will be later in the day, of course, in Israel.”In a post on X, Vance said, “It’s an amazing thing… We should be proud of this team, we should be proud of our country, because these hostages are going to live their lives thanks to what the United States of America did.” He added, “Muslims and Jews and Christians all seem unified that it’s a really good thing for the world… and it happened because of President Trump’s leadership. If we can build a sustainable peace, I’m 100% sure Americans will be safer because of it.” Calling it a “great morning,” the vice president said the hostages should be at home “in the next 24 hours.” Vance’s press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, quoted him as saying, “The lesson here is that Donald Trump refused to go down the failed, traditional diplomatic pathway. He cut his own Trump diplomatic pathway, and because of that, it was successful.” Vance also clarified that the US does not plan to deploy troops in Gaza. “We already have troops at central command… They are going to monitor the terms of the ceasefire… The idea that we’re going to have troops on the ground in Gaza, in Israel, that is NOT our intention – that is not our plan. There was a bit of misreporting there,” he said. Describing the deal as a “remarkable achievement”, Vance reposted, “This is a remarkable achievement from an administration that really chose a nonconventional path to diplomacy… these 20 hostages are going to come home to their families… It’s a great thing, and I’m very excited about it. It shows what happens when you go outside the traditional, failed diplomatic roots and actually try something new.” Vance further praised Trump for uniting Israel and Gulf Arab states for a shared objective. “Trump has done something that no other world leader has been able to do: unite the Israelis with the Gulf Arab states for a common objective… to bring the hostages home, to stop the war, and to build the kind of long-term settlement that… can bring a lasting peace,” he said.Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that bulldozers have begun clearing rubble in Gaza City after two years of war, as tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians return to their devastated homes in northern Gaza. Preparations are underway for a Gaza ceasefire summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, where Trump is expected to attend.According to Al Jazeera, the conflict has killed at least 67,806 people and wounded 170,066 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive. Go to Source
