Kamala Harris Calls for Ceasefire After Talks With Netanyahu, Says 'I'll Not Be Silent' on Gaza Suffering

US Vice President Kamala Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington on Thursday to discuss the release of American hostages and a potential ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel.

In her remarks following the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, Harris emphasised the urgent need to accept the ceasefire deal that would stop the ongoing conflict in Gaza and release American hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war.

“I have met with the families of these hostages multiple times now and I have told them each time that they are not alone and I stand with them. President Biden and I are working every day to bring them home,” Harris said in her speech.

Harris also voiced her concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noting the severe impact on innocent civilians. “I expressed with the PM a serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there, with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.”

She described the devastation in Gaza over the past nine months, mentioning the tragic images of dead children and desperate people fleeing for safety, often displaced multiple times. “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent,” she added.

The vice president also urged Americans to remember that the war in Gaza is “not a binary issue.” She highlighted the complexity and nuance of the region’s history and called for a more informed and empathetic discourse. “Too often, the conversation is binary when the reality is anything but. So I ask my fellow Americans to help encourage efforts to acknowledge the complexity, the nuance, and the history of the region.”

Harris called on everyone to condemn terrorism, violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate of any kind. She stressed the need to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians and to work towards unity. “Let us work to unite our country,” she concluded.

The Israeli prime minister had an earlier meeting with US President Joe Biden, where the president reiterated his calls for Israel and Hamas to quickly agree to a ceasefire deal that would bring hostages home.

Meanwhile, Harris’ meeting with Netanyahu comes days after the president Biden ended his bid for re-election and endorsed her to run his place.

The meeting between Harris and Netanyahu is seen as a pivotal moment in the ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hamas and to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.