CITIZENS NEWS

Thousands of pounds of rubble complicate hostage recovery, Vance says

By isabelle // 2025-10-22

• Vice President Vance urges patience in recovering deceased hostages from Gaza.
• He states the ceasefire is holding despite the logistical challenges.
• Hamas claims it needs more time and equipment to locate bodies under rubble.
• Vance warns Hamas must disarm or face obliteration.
• The recovery difficulties highlight the immense devastation in Gaza.

In a delicate diplomatic mission, Vice President JD Vance visited Israel on Tuesday, urging patience regarding the recovery of deceased Israeli hostages from Gaza and projecting confidence in a fragile ceasefire, even as the devastating aftermath of the conflict complicates the process. Vance spoke at the new U.S.-led Civilian Military Cooperation Center in southern Israel, addressing tensions stemming from Hamas not having yet returned all the bodies of hostages. He directly countered previous Israeli claims that this delay constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement, framing it instead as a logistical challenge born from the widespread destruction in Gaza. “A lot of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are,” Vance told reporters. He declined to set a firm deadline for the recovery, stating, “I’m not going to do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it. Because a lot of this stuff is difficult.”

A task hampered by rubble

The vice president’s call for patience aligns with explanations from Hamas itself. Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas political leader based in Qatar, said the group was ready to continue recovering bodies but needed more time and heavy equipment. “We are ready to recover and hand over all the bodies according to the agreement; we have no desire to keep anyone with us — let them return to their relatives, and our martyrs will also return and be buried with dignity,” al-Hayya said. He noted the difficulty of reaching bodies buried under collapsed buildings. This recovery effort is a stark reminder of the sheer scale of devastation inflicted upon Gaza, a level of destruction that makes locating and extracting remains a slow and arduous task. The situation underscores the immense human cost of the conflict and the practical obstacles to implementing even the most basic elements of the truce.

Vance insists ceasefire is holding

Despite these challenges and ongoing violence, Vance insisted the ceasefire deal was progressing. “What we’ve seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold, and if we get from where we were a week ago to a long-term, durable peace between Israel and Gaza, there are going to be hills and valleys,” he said. This optimism persists despite reports that at least 80 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began. The vice president also issued a stern warning to Hamas, echoing recent comments from President Trump. He insisted that Hamas must “disarm” and threatened the group with “obliteration” if it did not comply. “Right now, where I stand, I feel confident that we’re going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it’s durable, and if Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then, as the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated,” Vance stated.

Underlying tensions remain

The carefully managed statements from the American vice president highlight the precarious nature of the current peace. While publicly focusing warnings on Hamas, reports indicate the Trump administration is also growing worried that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could potentially dismantle the ceasefire deal. This reflects the complex balancing act the U.S. faces in mediating between the two sides. The slow return of hostage bodies is a painful process for Israel, which received two more bodies on Tuesday. If confirmed to be Israelis, that would leave 13 bodies still in Gaza. In exchange, Israel has been releasing the bodies of deceased Palestinians, having sent 165 into Gaza so far, with some reports indicating signs of torture and execution. The entire recovery operation is a grim testament to the consequences of the conflict. Israel is complaining about the time it is taking to receive the hostages' bodies, yet the difficulty in locating them is a direct result of the widespread devastation they caused that has left much of Gaza in ruins. Sources for this article include: News.AntiWar.com TimesOfIsrael.com ABCNews.go.com News.Sky.com

Israel violence genocide war big government Hamas chaos hostages humanitarian WWIII Gaza peace deal Vance slow progress