US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and forcefully pressed Israel to increase the flow of aid to ease what she called “inhumane” conditions and a “humanitarian catastrophe” among the Palestinian people.
Harris’s comments were among the sharpest yet by a senior leader of the US government calling for Israel to alleviate the conditions in Gaza.
The vice-president, who was speaking at an event in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday”, when state troopers beat peaceful protesters in 1965, urged Hamas to accept a deal to release hostages that would kick-start a six-week ceasefire and allow more aid to flow.
“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act,” Harris said. “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
Israel boycotted Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas rejected its demand for a complete list naming hostages that are still alive, according to an Israeli newspaper.
“Hamas claims its wants a ceasefire. Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal,” Harris 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.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rebuked centrist political rival Benny Gantz, who was arriving in Washington for talks with US officials, according to an Israeli official, signalling widening cracks within the country’s leadership nearly five months into its war with Hamas.
The trip by former military chief Gantz, who joined Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet following Hamas’ October 7 attack, comes as friction between the US and Netanyahu is rising over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and what the post-war plan for the enclave should look like.
An official from Netanyahu’s far-right Likud party said Gantz’s trip was planned without authorisation from the Israeli leader. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu had a “tough talk” with Gantz and told him the country has “just one prime minister”.
Gantz is expected to meet Harris and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, according to his National Unity Party. A second Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Gantz’s visit is intended to strengthen ties with the US, bolster support for Israel’s war and push for the release of Israeli hostages.
Many bullet wounds among injured Gazans after aid convoy deaths, says UN
Many bullet wounds among injured Gazans after aid convoy deaths, says UN
The US began airdrops of aid into Gaza on Saturday, after dozens of Palestinians rushing to grab food from an Israel-organised convoy were killed last week. The airdrops circumvented an aid delivery system hobbled by Israeli restrictions, logistical issues and fighting in Gaza. Aid officials say airdrops are far less effective than deliveries by truck.
US priorities in the region have increasingly been hampered by Netanyahu’s cabinet, which is dominated by ultranationalists. Gantz’s more moderate party at times acts as a counterweight.
Netanyahu’s popularity has dropped since the war broke out, according to most opinion polls. Many Israelis hold him responsible for failing to stop the October 7 cross-border raid by Hamas, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took roughly 250 people as hostages into Gaza, including women, children and older adults, according to Israeli authorities.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Around 80 per cent of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, and UN agencies say hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.
Israelis critical of Netanyahu say his decision-making has been tainted by political considerations, a charge he denies. The criticism is particularly focused on plans for post-war Gaza. Netanyahu wants Israel to maintain open-ended security control over Gaza, with Palestinians running civilian affairs.
The US wants to see progress on the creation of a Palestinian state, envisioning a revamped Palestinian leadership running Gaza with an eye toward eventual statehood.
That vision is opposed by Netanyahu and the hardliners in his government. Another top cabinet official from Gantz’s party has questioned the handling of the war and the strategy for freeing the hostages.
Netanyahu’s government, Israel’s most conservative and religious, has also been rattled by a court-ordered deadline for a new bill to broaden military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Many of them are exempted from military service so they can pursue religious studies. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and the military is looking to fill its ranks.
Gantz has remained vague about his view of Palestinian statehood. Polls show he would earn enough support to become prime minister if a vote were held today.
Biden says ‘alarming’ Gaza aid deaths complicate ceasefire talks
Biden says ‘alarming’ Gaza aid deaths complicate ceasefire talks
A visit to the US, if met with progress on the hostage front, could further boost Gantz’s support.
Israel has essentially endorsed a framework of a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, and it is now up to Hamas to agree to it, a senior US official said on Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House to brief reporters.
Israelis, deeply traumatised by Hamas’ attack, have broadly backed the war effort as an act of self-defence, even as global opposition to the fighting has increased.
But a growing number are expressing their dismay with Netanyahu. Some 10,000 people protested late on Saturday to call for early elections, according to Israeli media. Such protests have grown in recent weeks, but remain much smaller than last year’s demonstrations against the government’s judicial overhaul plan.
US opposes Israel ‘reoccupation’ of Gaza, shrinking of Palestinian territory
US opposes Israel ‘reoccupation’ of Gaza, shrinking of Palestinian territory
If the political rifts grow and Gantz resigns from the government, the floodgates will open to broader protests by a public that was already unhappy with the government when Hamas struck, said Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Amid concerns about the wider regional conflict, White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein was going to Lebanon on Monday to meet officials, according to an administration official who was not authorised to comment. White House officials want Lebanese and Israeli officials to prevent tensions along their border from worsening.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
