Eyal Zamir added that the return of the remains of the 13 hostages still held in Gaza "must be a prerequisite before moving to the next phase. ” The IDF considers the disarmament of Hamas a necessary condition for moving to the next stage of the US-brokered Gaza deal,

Before boarding a plane for Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that U.N. backing was a potential next step to deploying an international stabilization force to the war-torn enclave.

Israeli defense officials reportedly told US Vice President JD Vance during a meeting today that Hamas can return the bodies of at least 10 of the 13 deceased hostages still held in Gaza.

Israeli officials brief Vice President Vance, saying Hamas can recover hostages’ bodies without international aid and is exploiting the ceasefire to regroup, undermining progress under the Trump framework.

Speaking from Israel, Vice President JD Vance addressed the delicate issue of disarming Hamas. He said the effort would be led by an international security force, the composition of which is yet to be determined.

Vice President JD Vance declined to be drawn on how long Hamas would have before the US took action to force the Islamist movement to disarm as part of the Gaza cease fire agreement. "If Hamas doesn't comply with the deal,

Vice President JD Vance met with Israeli Prime Minister after arriving in Israel earlier in the week to try and stabilize the first phase of the ceasefire.

"We have to be a little bit flexible. I think what you're seeing from our Gulf Arab friends, certainly from our Israeli friends, is a certain amount of impatience with Hamas."