Several top U.S. officials are in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire and attempt to bring about a permanent end to the war. They acknowledge the next phase poses serious challenges.

Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas announced a ceasefire to the two-year war in Gaza. The agreement was brokered in part by the United States, but American officials are concerned, according to the New York Times,

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has toured a U.S.-led coordination center in southern Israel. The Trump administration is pushing plans for an international security force in Gaza to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

However, Israel has said it is keeping the crossing closed until Hamas "fulfils" its commitments under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal by returning the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel has kept the Gaza side of the Egyptian border closed since May 2024 when it took control during the war.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to shore up the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that has teetered over the past few days following a burst of deadly violence and questions over how to move forward with the plan for cementing a long-term peace.

The vice president was the latest U.S. official to meet with the Israeli PM since a flare-up in violence threatened the truce. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to follow Friday.

Sami Shaban says his relatives were among 11 killed when Israeli tank fire struck their minibus a week after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.

Israel said Sunday it responded after "terrorists" attacked troops operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile. Hamas said it was unaware of the clashes.

Israel launched a wave of attacks on Gaza after accusing Palestinian militants of attacking its forces across cease-fire lines. Both sides say they are still committed to the truce.

The Israeli military said a ceasefire in Gaza had resumed after an attack killed two of its soldiers and prompted airstrikes that Palestinians said killed 26 people.

Hanan Shakshk cares her grandson Yahya Shorbasi, who was injured by an unexploded ordnance along with his six-year-old twin sister Nabila, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The surveillance missions are part of a U.S.-led international effort to ensure the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas holds.