US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to shore up the fragile US-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. Also Tuesday, Israel said it has identified the body of a hostage that was released by Palestinian militants overnight, while the chief Hamas negotiator said the group remains determined to implement the ceasefire agreement to end the two-year war.
Vance, whose visit comes after the arrival of two top White House envoys, is expected to be in the region until Thursday. Accompanied by his wife Usha Vance, the vice president will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is to hold a news conference Tuesday evening in Jerusalem and is also expected to meet with families of hostages whose bodies are still being held in Gaza and the living hostages released by the militants last week. Israel confirmed that Hamas released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war.
He was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border. The 42-year-old was a fourth-generation resident of the kibbutz and part of its emergency response team. He had four children, including one born after the attack. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen bodies have been released since the ceasefire began. After trading strikes earlier this week, Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war “ends once and for all.”
“From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end,” Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypt’s Al-Qahera News television late Monday. He said the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US President Donald Trump, represented “an international will declaring the war in Gaza is over.” Al-Hayya said Hamas received assurances from mediators and Trump that “give us confidence that the war has ended for good.”
He said Israel has complied with aid deliveries in the crossings according to the agreement but asked mediators to pressure Israel to deliver more shelter, medical supplies and winterization items before the weather changes. On Sunday, Israel’s military said militants had fired at troops, killing two Israeli soldiers in areas of Rafah in southern Gaza that are Israeli-controlled, according to agreed-on ceasefire lines. Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the strip’s Health Ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.
Similar strikes occurred on Monday in Gaza City and Khan Younis, where Israel said militants had crossed the yellow ceasefire line and posed an “immediate threat” to its troops. The Israeli military said Monday it was using concrete barriers and painted poles to more clearly delineate the so-called yellow line in Gaza where troops have withdrawn to. It said several instances of violence have occurred.
Student body returns to Nepal
Kathmandu: The body of a Nepali student who saved several lives during the Hamas attack in Israel two years ago has been brought to Kathmandu from Tel Aviv for his last rites. Bipin Joshi, student under Israel’s Learn and Earn Programme, was taken into captivity along with several others by Hamas in Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023. The Israeli military assessed that he was murdered in captivity during the first months of the war. Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushila Karki paid tributes to Bipin’s mortal remains at the Tribhuvan International Airport here on Monday, saying he will “always live in the hearts of every Nepali.”
His body was wrapped in Nepal’s national flag. Karki said although Bipin is no longer in physical form, his courage and sacrifice will be remembered by the nation. “He is a brave Nepali youth - a true son of Nepal,” she said. The prime minister said she had hoped Bipin would return alive and be welcomed home but was deeply saddened by the confirmation of his death. “Although his body has returned lifeless, Bipin has immortalised the name of a brave Nepali,” she added. She expressed deep condolences to Bipin’s family.
