Harris calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ and urges Hamas to agree

“What we see every day in Gaza is devastating,” Ms. Harris said. “We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed. Women who give birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care. And children dying from malnutrition and dehydration. As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”

“The threat that Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated,” Ms. Harris added. “And given the immense scale of the suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire, for at least the next six weeks.”

Mr Biden has pushed for a deal between Hamas and Israel that would allow the release of hostages and a temporary ceasefire by Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that starts around March 10. US officials said Israel “more or less accepted” terms of the deal, but Hamas has yet to agree to it.

Ms. Harris reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend itself against the continued threat from Hamas, which she said has no regard for innocent life in Israel or Gaza. Ms. Harris called Hamas a “brutal terrorist organization” that poses a threat to Israel and must be eliminated.

“Hamas claims it wants a ceasefire,” she said. “Well, there’s a deal on the table.”

Ms. Harris spoke at a time when the political consequences of the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel are beginning to come into sharper focus. While Mr Biden has increasingly criticized Israel’s response to the October 7 attack, his rejection of calls for a permanent ceasefire and a series of previous missteps in showing a lack of empathy for the Palestinians divide the Democratic Party. They have also alienated key voters, including black, young and Arab-American voters.

Opponents of the war and pro-Palestinian protesters have followed Mr. Biden to events across the country to protest his support for Israel in the war. Prominent black faith leaders have appealed to the government to cut off financial aid to Israel, saying its military campaign amounts to ‘mass genocide’.

In perhaps the most striking warning sign yet, more than 100,000 people, including many Arab Americans, have voted ‘uncommitted’ during the Michigan primaries last week — a preview of what could unfold in other key swing states that helped elect Mr. Biden in 2020.

Ms. Harris also said on Sunday that Israel must do more to allow the flow of aid into Gaza, including opening new border crossings, lifting unnecessary restrictions on aid deliveries and restoring services to Gaza.

“People in Gaza are starving,” Ms. Harris said. “The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to action.”

She condemned a scene that unfolded on Thursday, when more than a hundred Gazans, desperate for food, descended on an aid convoy and were confronted with what Ms Harris called “chaos and gunfire” after Israel opened fire on the crowd .

Israeli and Palestinian officials and witnesses have given differing accounts of the event, with Israeli officials blaming the crushing of the crowd for most of the deaths, while witnesses described extensive gunfire by Israeli forces.

“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” Ms. Harris said. “No excuses.”

Ms. Harris’ remarks, delivered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during a commemoration of Bloody Sunday, a major civil rights event in 1965, drew applause from the crowd at points.

On March 7, 1965, black Americans were beaten on the bridge by white law enforcement officers as they marched for their right to vote. The event was widely credited with galvanizing support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which passed five months later.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs reporting contributed.