ISTANBUL

US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday declined to provide a deadline for Palestinian group Hamas to disarm, saying the situation remains "unpredictable."

"We know that Hamas has to comply with the (ceasefire) deal," Vance told reporters while visiting Israel.

Asked how much time the group has before the US takes action or authorizes allies to do so, Vance refused to set a timeline.

"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 lot of this stuff is unpredictable," he said.

"I don't think it's actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in a week, because a lot of this work is very hard," he said, noting that "very bad things" will happen if Hamas does not comply with US President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire agreement.

Vance's comments follow Trump's post on his social media platform Truth Social, where he suggested Middle Eastern countries are ready to intervene if "Hamas continues to act badly."

Trump said he has not given a green light for such an action, noting "there is still hope that Hamas will do what is right."   

No American troops in Gaza

Vance said there will be no “American boots on the ground in Gaza,” while praising Türkiye's role in the peace process.

He emphasized Israel must agree to any foreign troop presence, and the US role involves coordinating Gulf states, Israel, Türkiye and Indonesia "to work together in a way that actually produces long-term peace."

On potential Turkish troops in Gaza, Vance said the US will not "force anything" on Israel, “but we do think that there's a constructive role for the Turks to play. He said the US is "grateful" for Türkiye's "constructive" role in the region.

Implementation progress

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said implementation of the ceasefire is "exceeding where we thought we would be at this time," while Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said: "It's amazing to think it's only been a week."

The’White House said Vance went to the US-backed Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) established to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.

CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said 200 US military personnel are serving at the center. "Consistent with our Commander in Chief's direction, this facility will be the hub of everything that goes into Gaza," he said.

Vance arrived Tuesday for a three-day visit for talks on a ceasefire agreement that took effect Oct. 10.

The agreement envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Israel launched deadly airstrikes Sunday across Gaza in violation of the ceasefire, killing at least 44 Palestinians after alleging that Hamas had attacked its troops in the southern city of Rafah. The Palestinian group denied any involvement and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.

Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed more than 68,200 victims and injured over 170,300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.