US Vice President says his country will not be drawn into protracted conflict in Middle East

CAIRO – 29 October 2025: US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that his country will not be drawn into a protracted conflict in the Middle East, emphasizing that Washington tackles regional crises rationally, not emotionally.

The US official added that the Knesset's vote on annexing the West Bank during his visit to Israel struck him as ‘absurd and insulting’. He noted that he felt personally offended by the timing of this decision, which he described as ‘politically unwise and unhelpful in calming the situation.’

The Vice President stressed that the US administration will not allow US forces to be drawn into a long-term confrontation in the Middle East, explaining that the current priority is to focus on regional stability and preventive diplomacy.

Hamas on Wednesday held Israel fully responsible for the recent escalation in Gaza, accusing Tel Aviv of attempting to undermine the ceasefire agreement and impose new realities by force.

A wave of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza overnight have killed at least 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The attacks appear to be the deadliest in Gaza since the ceasefire in the war-battered enclave took effect on 10 October.

Tel Aviv claims that a soldier was killed on Tuesday in Gaza by "enemy fire," triggering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order “powerful strikes” in defiance of the ceasefire. Hamas denied any involvement in the shooting.

According to the ministry, 253 people have also been injured, the majority of whom are also women and children.

Responding to the developments, US President Trump asserted that “nothing is going to jeopardize” the US-brokered ceasefire, while defending Israel’s right to “hit back.”

The US president called Hamas a “small part of the Middle East deal” and threatened that if the group “doesn’t behave properly, it will be eliminated.”