October 12, 2025

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday characterized the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas as “a remarkable achievement” by the Trump administration.

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Vance said, “We have to remember this is a remarkable achievement from an administration that really chose a non-conventional path to diplomacy. And I think that’s the major takeaway. The President of the United States instructed Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, he said, get a deal done, talk to the Gulf Arab states, talk to Israel, find where there’s common ground here, and actually, let’s go and find a way to get it done.”

Israel and Palestinians are preparing this weekend for the release of the remaining hostages from Hamas’ incursion on Oct. 7, 2023, into southern Israel, as well as the freeing of Palestinians held by Israel. These releases are supposed to be the first phase of an attempt to build trust and resolve long-standing issues in the embattled region.

Read more: