US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday cautioned there were challenges ahead both in terms of disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza as part of a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement. “We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza, to make life better for the people of Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel,” Vance said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

“I think this Gaza deal is a critical piece of unlocking the Abraham Accords,” he added, referring to the series of normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020. “But what it could allow is an alliance structure in the Middle East that perseveres, that endures, and that allows the good people in this region, the world, to step up and take ownership of their own backyard.” (AFP)