Amid breaches of the Gaza ceasefire and a surge in settler violence in the West Bank, the Palestinian government says it is continuing coordination with Arab and global partners to advance Gaza's recovery plan. Meanwhile, US officials are urging both Hamas and Israel to uphold and extend the fragile truce.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa reaffirmed that his government continues intensive coordination and consultation with Arab and international peace partners to implement the Gaza Recovery, Reconstruction and Development Plan ahead of a donors' conference in Egypt next month, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Mustafa also called for effective international action to curb the continuing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

READ MORE: World concern grows after Gaza truce teeters on brink

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that Israeli settlers carried out 71 attacks against Palestinians across the West Bank between Oct 7 and 13.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said on Tuesday that settler violence "has skyrocketed in scale and frequency with the acquiescence, support, and in many cases, participation of Israeli security forces — and always with impunity".

Meanwhile, United States Vice-President JD Vance met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for an expanded meeting about phase two of the ceasefire deal.

Vance said the deal could potentially help expand a series of Arab-Israeli normalization pacts that Washington brokered under Trump's first term. He again claimed that the ceasefire was "going better than expected "despite repeated violations.

"That's in the US' best interest. I happen to think it's in Israel's best interest too," he said, adding that President Donald Trump believes that "Israel can play a very strong leadership role" in the region, allowing the US to take more of a backseat.

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the United Arab Emirates' president, said on Wednesday that much work remains to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which he said will scale up.

He warned against "maximalist views" held by the Israeli right wing, saying any annexation of Palestinian territories would be a "red line" and that discussions are underway on deploying security forces in Gaza.

Uncertainty remains

However, uncertainty remains over the peace plan, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and the determination of who will govern the territory.

Experts have warned that the credibility of the US is on the line as Israel appears to test the limits of the ceasefire.

Rasha Al Joundy, a senior researcher at the Dubai Public Policy Research Centre, told China Daily that the ceasefire is in "a very critical period" and that breaches are usually to be expected at this point after conflicts.

"Trump is politically invested in this agreement, so he is doing his best to make it hold and the trip of his senior officials to Israel is evidence of that," Al Joundy said.

"Nonetheless, the West Bank situation is very critical, but unfortunately it is not part of the ceasefire and therefore hostilities could continue.

"It is clear that Israeli right-wingers want the war to erupt again, and they are pushing toward that, along with the violence in the West Bank to keep the tension. This is clearly very dangerous times," she added.

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Mehmet Rakipoglu, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter in England, and an assistant professor of political science and international relations at Mardin Artuklu University in Turkiye, said it is "nothing new for Israel" to have violated the ceasefire.

"No one can stop Israel by just condemning. Vance's visit is not for support. It is for warning. The US wants to stop Israel from committing another genocide," he said.

"What I find interesting is that Americans are seeing Israel as a sinking ship. There are lots of senators who have stated they will not accept funds from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)."

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com