Kamala Harris urges Hamas to agree to immediate ceasefire, pushes Israel on aid to Gaza
- US vice-president gives sharp rebuke over the conditions in Gaza, urges ceasefire
- The US is under pressure over its support for Israel and the civilian death toll in Gaza
US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Sunday demanded Palestinian militant group Hamas agree to an immediate six-week ceasefire while forcefully urging Israel to do more to boost aid deliveries into Gaza, where she said innocent people were suffering a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
In some of the strongest comments by a senior leader of the US government to date on the issue.
Harris pressed the Israeli government and outlined specific ways on how more aid can flow into the densely-populated enclave where hundreds of thousands of people are facing famine, following five months of Israel’s military campaign.
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire,” Harris said at an event in Selma, Alabama. “There is a deal on the table, and as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal. Let’s get a ceasefire.”
“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act … The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses,” she said.