Vice President Kamala Harris called on Sunday for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, saying that Hamas must agree to the six-week pause currently on the table and that Israel must increase the flow of aid to the besieged enclave in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. .
The statements of Ms. Harris, delivered in Selma, Ala., bolstered President Joe Biden’s recent push for a deal and came a day before he was to meet with a top Israeli cabinet official involved in war planning, Benny Gantz. His tone echoed a sharper and more urgent tone coming from the White House as its frustration with Israel grows. Last month, the president called Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas-led attack “over the top.”
Ms. criticized Harris described the dire situation in Gaza, calling the situation a “humanitarian disaster.” It was his strongest assessment to date of the conflict in the Middle East, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities, and put the enclave on the brink of famine.
“What we see every day in Gaza is devastating,” said Ms. Harris. “We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed. Women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care. And children dying from malnutrition and dehydration. As I said by many times, so many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
“Hamas’ threat to the people of Israel must be eliminated,” added Ms. Harris. “And given the enormous scale of the suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire, for at least the next six weeks.”
Mr. Biden is pushing for a deal between Hamas and Israel that would allow for the release of hostages and a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins around March 10. US officials said Israel had “more or less. “accepted” the terms of the deal, but Hamas has yet to agree to it.
Ms. repeated. Harris reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend itself against the ongoing threat from Hamas, which he said has no regard for innocent lives in Israel or Gaza. Ms. called Harris called Hamas a “brutal terrorist organization” that poses a threat to Israel and must be eliminated.
“Hamas says it wants a ceasefire,” he said. “Well, there’s a deal on the table.”
Ms. spoke. Harris at a time when the political consequences of the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel are coming into sharper focus. While Mr. Biden has increasingly criticized Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack, his rejection of calls for a permanent cease-fire and a series of earlier missteps show a lack of empathy for those Palestinians have split the Democratic Party. They also alienated key constituencies, including Black, youth and Arab American voters.
Opponents of the war and pro-Palestinian protesters followed Mr. Biden at events across the country to protest his support of Israel in the war. Prominent Black faith leaders have called on the administration to end financial aid for Israel, saying its military campaign amounts to “mass genocide.”
In perhaps the starkest warning sign to date, more than 100,000 people, many of them Arab Americans, voted “uncommitted” in Michigan’s primary last week – a preview of what could happen in other important state that helped elect Mr. Biden in 2020.
Ms. also said Harris on Sunday said Israel must do more to allow the flow of aid to Gaza, including opening new border crossings, removing unnecessary restrictions on aid delivery and restoring services to Gaza. .
“People in Gaza are starving,” said Ms. Harris. “The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.”
He condemned a scene that unfolded on Thursday, when more than 100 Gazans desperate for food disembarked in an aid convoy and were greeted by what Ms. Harris “mayhem and gunfire,” after Israel opened fire on the crowd.
Israeli and Palestinian officials and witnesses offered different accounts of the episode, with Israeli officials blaming the crowd’s crush for most of the deaths, while witnesses described widespread gunfire. of Israeli forces.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” said Ms. Harris. “There are no excuses.”
The statements of Ms. Harris, given at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a commemoration of Bloody Sunday, a major civil rights event in 1965, drew applause at points from the crowd.
On March 7, 1965, Black Americans were beaten by white law enforcement officers on the bridge for marching for their right to vote. The event is widely credited with galvanizing support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which passed five months later.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting.
