Vance Optimistic About Gaza Ceasefire  10/22 06:01

   U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called progress in Gaza's fragile 
ceasefire better than anticipated but acknowledged during an Israel visit the 
challenges that remain, from disarming Hamas to rebuilding a land devastated by 
two years of war.

   KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) -- U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called 
progress in Gaza's fragile ceasefire better than anticipated but acknowledged 
during an Israel visit the challenges that remain, from disarming Hamas to 
rebuilding a land devastated by two years of war.

   Vance noted flareups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire 
between Israel and Hamas that began on Oct. 10 is going "better than I 
expected." The Trump administration's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added 
that "we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time."

   They visited a new center in Israel for civilian and military cooperation as 
questions remain over the long-term plan for peace, including when and how an 
international security force will deploy to Gaza and who will govern the 
territory after the war.

   Vance tried to downplay any idea that his visit -- his first as vice 
president -- was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place. He said he 
feels "confident that we're going to be in a place where this peace lasts," but 
warned that if Hamas doesn't cooperate, it will be "obliterated."

   Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of the 
architects of the ceasefire agreement, noted its complexity: "Both sides are 
transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime 
posture."

   Vance is expected to stay in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.

   On Tuesday, Netanyahu fired his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, 
but gave no reason for the decision. Israeli media said Hanegbi had opposed the 
renewal of Israel's Gaza offensive in March, and Israel's failed attempt to 
assassinate Hamas' leadership in an airstrike in Qatar in September. In a 
statement, Hanegbi noted "times of disagreement" with Netanyahu.

   Hamas hands over remains of 2 more hostages

   Late Tuesday, Israel's military said the remains of two more Gaza hostages 
had been returned to Israel, where they would be identified.

   Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been 
returned to Israel. Another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed 
over.

   On his visit to Israel Tuesday, Vance urged a "little bit of patience" amid 
Israeli frustration with Hamas' pace of returning the hostages.

   "Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some 
of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are," Vance said.

   Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each dead 
hostage, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It said Tuesday that Israel had 
so far transferred 165 bodies since earlier this month.

   As he faced journalists' questions over the ceasefire's next steps, he said 
"a lot of this work is very hard" and urged flexibility.

   "Once we've got to a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can 
have some measure of security, then we'll worry about what the long-term 
governance of Gaza is," he said. "Let's focus on security, rebuilding, giving 
people some food and medicine."

   Although some 200 U.S. troops were recently sent to Israel, Vance emphasized 
that they would not be on the ground in Gaza. But he said officials are 
beginning to "conceptualize what that international security force would look 
like" for the territory.

   He mentioned Turkey and Indonesia as countries expected to participate. The 
flags of Jordan, Germany, Britain and Denmark were on the stage where he spoke. 
Britain said late Tuesday it would send a small contingent of military officers 
to Israel to assist in monitoring the ceasefire.

   While the ceasefire has been tested by fighting and mutual accusations of 
violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal.

   Aid into Gaza increases, while prices rise

   International organizations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid 
entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces cracked down against what it 
called price gouging by private merchants.

   The World Food Program said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in 
the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. 
That's well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war.

   The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points across Gaza and 
hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points as soon as possible.

   Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday after militants 
killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with strikes that killed 
dozens of Palestinians. Israel also threatened to halt humanitarian aid.

   At a market in the central city of Deir al-Balah, a 25-kilogram (55-pound) 
package of flour was selling for more than $70 on Sunday, up from about $12 
shortly after the ceasefire. By Tuesday, the price was around $30.

   Mohamed al-Faqawi, a Khan Younis resident, accused merchants of taking 
advantage of the perilous security situation. "They are exploiting us," he said.

   On Monday, Hamas said its security forces raided shops across Gaza, closing 
some and forcing merchants to lower prices. Hamas also has allowed aid trucks 
to move safely and halted looting of deliveries.

   Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza's private truckers' union, said there was no 
stealing aid since the ceasefire started.

   But other significant challenges remain as Gaza's financial system is in 
tatters. With nearly every bank branch and ATM inoperable, people pay 
exorbitant commissions to a network of cash brokers to get money for daily 
expenses.

   On Tuesday, dozens of people in Deir al-Balah spent hours in line at the 
Bank of Palestine hoping to access their money but were turned away.

   "Without having the bank open and without money, it does not matter that the 
prices (in the market) have dropped," said Kamilia Al-Ajez.

   Gaza doctors say bodies returned with signs of torture

   A senior health official in Gaza said some bodies of Palestinians returned 
by Israel bore "evidence of torture" and called for a United Nations 
investigation.

   Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, the health ministry's general director, said on social 
media late Monday that some had evidence of being bound with ropes and metal 
shackles, and had deep wounds and crushed limbs.

   It was not immediately clear if any of the bodies had been prisoners; they 
are returned without identification or details on how they died. The bodies 
could include Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken 
out of Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.

   The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying 
it had followed legal procedures and provided medical care and "adequate living 
conditions."

   Israeli hostages released from Gaza have also reported metal shackles and 
harsh conditions, including frequent beatings and starvation.

   In the 2023 attack on Israel that started the war, Hamas-led militants 
killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as 
hostages.

   The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to 
Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and 
combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that 
are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel 
has disputed them without providing its own toll.