 "'Hamas-free zone': Vance says Rafah will be rebuilt in '2 to 3 years' as he concludes Israel trip")
US Vice President JD Vance has said that Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, could be rebuilt in two to three years after he expressed optimism over the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying it is going “better than expected.”
Vance, who was on a trip to Israel, said Palestinians will be able to move into a “Hamas-free zone” in southern Gaza in the next couple of months.” Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv before boarding Air Force Two, Vance said the goal is for people to be able to return to Rafah. He added that reconstruction could begin “very quickly” in areas no longer under Hamas control.
“You’re going to have first some people, and then more, and then hopefully in a couple years, half a million people living in security, living in comfort, and also living in a situation where they’re not threatening their Israeli neighbours,” the VP said.
Vance’s comments make it the first time the US administration has given a definitive timeline of how long it is going to take to reconstruct Gaza, parts of which have been reduced to rubble.
Ceasefire ‘will hold’
Earlier this week, Vance said that the Gaza ceasefire “is going better than expected” and that it is going to hold despite Israeli attacks in the region on Sunday.
Vance’s comments came during his visit to Israel, where he warned that “if Hamas does not co-operate, it will be obliterated.” The VP’s visit was part of the Trump administration’s effort to salvage the Gaza ceasefire deal, which was threatened after Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza in response to the killing of its soldiers.
Later, he said that both Israel and Hamas are respecting the ceasefire with “exceptions.” “There are little exceptions to break out here and there that would be expected when these two parties have been at war for two years. But so far, the ceasefire is actually holding. The peace is actually holding,” Vance said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrump warns Israel
Manwhile, President Donald Trump said Israel would lose its crucial backing from the United States if it annexes the occupied West Bank, in a Time magazine interview published Thursday.
Trump’s comments, which Time said were made by telephone on October 15, were published as both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned against any annexation.
“It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now. We’ve had great Arab support,” Trump said when asked what the consequences would be for Israel if it did so.
“Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.”
With inputs from agencies
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