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.

As a Christian, this region of the world means a great deal to me,' Vance said at the start of whirlwind trip to salvage the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

Israeli forces struck Hamas positions in Gaza after the terrorist group allegedly violated ceasefire terms with attacks on IDF forces.

Rubio was speaking before heading to Israel to help oversee efforts to maintain the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, and push forward peace talks on the next stages of the deal. He’s the latest senior U.S. official to do so after a flare-up in violence raised fears the truce could collapse.

Vice President JD Vance, who was on the second day of a visit to Israel, said recent trips to the country by top American officials were intended to shore up the fragile Gaza truce.

VP Vance visits Israel to bolster a Gaza ceasefire and discusses the difficult mission ahead to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza. Rebecca Heinrichs, Hudson Institute national security analyst, reacts.

The vice president said that while he can't have "100% certainty that it's going to work," he has "great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold."

The recovery of Aryeh Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar's remains means Hamas has returned 15 out of 28 deceased Israeli hostages.