JD Vance expresses ‘great optimism’ Gaza truce will hold during Israel visit | First Thing

Gaza’s media office says Israel killed at least 80 Palestinians since ceasefire deal took effect. Plus, Trump’s pick for whistleblower office drops out after racist textsGood morning.The US vice-president, JD Vance, expressed “great optimism” over the Gaza truce plan, which he described as “durable” and “going better than expected”, during a visit to Israel on Tuesday, two days after Israeli airstrikes killed 26 Palestinians.What are the ceasefire violations? On Sunday, Israel launched lethal airstrikes in Gaza that killed 26 Palestinians after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack the army blamed on Hamas. The militant group said it was not responsible because it had not had contact with fighters in the area since communications were cut off in March. The Israeli military later said it had resumed enforcing the ceasefire.What is Israel alleging about Hamas? Israel has accused Hamas of delaying the return of hostages’ bodies. Hamas has sent back 15 bodies, but still needs to hand over 13 more. The group has said locating the remains will take time as many are buried under rubble. Continue reading...