Vance reveals timeline for release of Israeli captives as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

Washington DC - The release of the remaining Israeli captives held by Hamas is imminent, Vice President JD Vance said Sunday, adding that the Trump administration would apply all necessary pressure to ensure future stability in Gaza.

Vice President JD Vance said Hamas will release remaining Israeli captives "any moment now" as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.  © REUTERS

"It really should be any moment now," the vice president told NBC News' Meet the Press when asked about the timing for the release of the captives.

He added later on ABC's "This Week": "We expect to see them alive here in the next 24 hours, probably early tomorrow morning, US time, which will be later in the day, of course, in Israel."

Asked on CBS's Face the Nation whether Washington is committed to continuing to apply pressure to stabilize the Middle East, Vance said: "It is going to take consistent leverage and consistent pressure from the president of the United States on down."

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Speaking on a succession of Sunday morning talk shows, Vance also stressed that 200 American troops being deployed to Israel would be responsible for monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza and were never intended for any sort of combat role.

Vance added that US troops will not be deployed on the ground in Palestinian territory.

"That's everything from ensuring that the Israeli troops are at the agreed-upon line, ensuring that Hamas is not attacking innocent Israelis, doing everything that they can to ensure the peace that we've created, actually sustains and endures," Vance said on ABC.

"But the idea that we're going to have troops on the ground in Gaza, in Israel, that that is not our intention, that is not our plan."

Trump is set to arrive in Israel on Monday, and will address the Israeli parliament before heading to Egypt to host a meeting of world leaders to back his plan for Gaza, which includes rule by a so-called "peace board" and the demilitarization of all resistance groups.

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Some 2,000 Palestinians held captive in Israeli prisons are expected to be released only after Israel receives its hostages on Monday.

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