The vice president was the latest U.S. official to meet with the Israeli PM since a flare-up in violence threatened the truce. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to follow Friday.

Rubio's trip to Israel comes on the heels of visits from Vice President JD Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who've spent the week traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to continue coalition building in the region.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is seeking to ease concerns in Israel that the Trump administration is dictating terms to its closest ally in the Middle East.

However, Israel has said it is keeping the crossing closed until Hamas "fulfils" its commitments under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal by returning the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel has kept the Gaza side of the Egyptian border closed since May 2024 when it took control during the war.

Sami Shaban says his relatives were among 11 killed when Israeli tank fire struck their minibus a week after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Wednesday that he would be opposed to any role for Turkish security forces in the Gaza Strip. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement,

Israel has reopened two crossings in Gaza, while the key Rafah crossing will stay closed to the movement of people until further notice.

Several top U.S. officials are in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire and attempt to bring about a permanent end to the war. They acknowledge the next phase poses serious challenges.