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Vice President JD Vance warned Sunday that some of the hostages killed while held by Hamas may never be returned to their families.
“The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back, but I do think, with some effort, we’ll be able to give them to their families so they at least have some closure,” Vance said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
The vice president continued, noting that while rescuing living hostages remains the Trump administration’s top priority, returning the remains of those killed is also an important effort to give families closure.
TRUMP PEACE DEAL TRIGGERS 72-HOUR COUNTDOWN FOR HAMAS TO RELEASE 48 HOSTAGES FROM GAZA
Then-Vice President-elect JD Vance is followed by reporters as he departs from the Senate Chambers during a vote in the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 18, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“We do want to give these people the ability to have a proper burial with their loved ones who were murdered by brutal terrorists, and that matters to us. It matters to the families, and it will remain a focus, but it’s going to take some time,” he added.
Though he stopped short of certainty, Vance said he believes most of the victims’ remains — but not all — will eventually be recovered.
TRUMP’S WEEK IN REVIEW: PRESIDENT SECURES HISTORIC PEACE DEAL TO BRING HOSTAGES HOME AS SHUTDOWN CONTINUES
People gather to celebrate after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 9, 2025. (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo)
Vance’s comments come as Hamas faces a deadline to return all remaining hostages to Israel, following a peace deal that ended the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war.
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The peace agreement, brokered by President Trump, sparked celebrations across a region plagued by violence since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last week that he expects the remaining hostages to be released on Monday.
