US Vice President Harris Calls for ‘Immediate’ Gaza Ceasefire
United States Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza while issuing a rare rebuke of Israel.
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said on Sunday.
“This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in.”
In some of the strongest criticism of Israel yet by the administration of US President Joe Biden, Harris said Israel must do more to allow the delivery of aid, including opening new border crossings and committing not to impose “unnecessary restrictions”. “People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act,” Harris said during a speech to mark the violent suppression of civil rights protesters by police in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
Harris also addressed Thursday’s incident during which more than 100 Palestinians were killed as they tried to access food aid in Gaza City, saying that “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed”.
“Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy,” she said.
Harris also challenged Hamas to accept the terms of a ceasefire deal that US officials say has been broadly accepted by Israel. “Hamas needs to agree to that deal,” she said. “Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza.”
Harris’s comments come as Biden is facing mounting pressure from left-leaning voters over his support for Israel ahead of November’s presidential election. Democrats are increasingly concerned that Biden’s stance on the war could cost him votes, especially in Michigan, one of a handful of battleground states likely to decide the outcome of the election.