US Vice President JD Vance said on a visit to Israel the fragile ceasefire with Hamas was holding, despite accusations by each side that the other had violated the deal.
The comments came as Israel and Hamas exchanged the bodies of captives, a key demand of the truce.
Analysts have said long-term drivers of the conflict remain unaddressed, but voiced hope the deal may hold, particularly thanks to pressure from Washington, with Vance’s trip the latest sign of continued American involvement.
The US VP said things were going “better than I expected” while visiting a new US-Israeli ceasefire coordination center. Gazans counter, however, that little has changed in the devastated territory while NGOs warned far more aid was needed.