Chief US diplomat Marco Rubio was due in Israel on Thursday, the latest Washington official to visit as President Donald Trump's administration kept up efforts to cement the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which took hold on Oct. 10, remains in place as of Wednesday afternoon, local time, despite reports of clashes in Gaza and accusations of violations from both sides.

As a Christian, this region of the world means a great deal to me,' Vance said at the start of whirlwind trip to salvage the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

Vice President JD Vance urged "patience" as Israel waits for the return of all the hostages' remains from Hamas.

The vice president said that while he can't have "100% certainty that it's going to work," he has "great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold."

The future is not clear for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and its phases after weekend flareups in the region.

Israel said Sunday it responded after "terrorists" attacked troops operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile. Hamas said it was unaware of the clashes.

Israeli forces struck Hamas positions in Gaza after the terrorist group allegedly violated ceasefire terms with attacks on IDF forces.

Israel said Hamas carried out "a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement" with attacks on its forces in the Rafah area. Hamas restated its commitment to the truce and said it had no knowledge of any clashes.

A US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza appears to have survived its first major test as Israel and Hamas affirmed their commitment to the deal after two Israeli soldiers were killed in the enclave on Sunday,

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu — who will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday — expressed similar sentiments while acknowledging differences of opinion as they push forward the U.