Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to “not be silent” about suffering in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, saying she expressed her “serious concern” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday while telling him it is time to lock down a ceasefire deal.
“Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters. What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told reporters in remarks after her meeting with Netanyahu in Washington.
Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, launched in the wake of the October 7 attacks has triggered a humanitarian crisis, displacing almost all of the Strip’s 2 million population and reduced swathes of the territory to rubble.
“The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. 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,” Harris said.
Harris’ comments provided the clearest explanation yet of her views on the conflict as she works to balance the issue that has not only divided the country but caused friction within the Democratic Party. Harris echoed Biden’s repeated comments about America’s “ironclad support” and “unwavering commitment” to Israel, but she conveyed a forcefulness on ending the war.
Recalling the details of the proposed US-backed ceasefire and hostage deal, Harris said that “it is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.”
The vice president said there has been “hopeful movement” in the talks and that she pushed the prime minister to bring the conflict to a close.
“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done,” she said. “So to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you.”
Backlash from Israeli officials
The Hostages Families Forum in Israel has accused Netanyahu of stalling in the negotiations to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
“This foot-dragging is a deliberate sabotage of the chance to bring our loved ones back,” the Forum said, adding that families were demanding an urgent meeting.
But far-right members of the Israeli cabinet have pushed against a deal, criticizing pressure from Harris to secure one.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that committing to the deal in its current form would mean “surrendering” to Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. A deal would “allow Hamas to rehabilitate… abandoning most of the hostages in Hamas captivity.” Smotrich wrote on X. “Do not fall into this trap!”
The Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on X Friday, “The war won’t be ceased, Madame candidate.”
Following Harris’ remarks, Israeli media have been quoting a “senior Israeli official” as saying that pressure from the US vice president to reach a ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza is counter-productive and may put at risk efforts to reach an agreement.
The reports appear to reflect worries among Netanyahu’s inner circle that the emergence of Harris as the presumptive Democrat presidential candidate might herald a tougher US line on the conduct of Israel’s war with Hamas.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan also told Israel Army Radio (GLZ) Friday that the tone used by Harris “is raising concerns” among Israeli officials.
Plans are in the works for another round of ceasefire-hostage talks that includes CIA Director Bill Burns and his fellow mediators early next week, according to an official familiar with the planning. The talks are also expected to include representatives from Israel, Egypt, Qatar.
‘War in Gaza is not a binary issue’
Among the hostages held in Gaza are eight dual-American citizens, which Harris said the Biden administration is working to bring home. Three of those have been confirmed dead.
The vice president, who has met with the families, listed the names of those being held by Hamas.
Several of the families US hostages held in Gaza were represented in discussions with US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu in Washington on Thursday. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, told CNN he was able to pose “very difficult questions” to Netanyahu during the meeting.
Dekel-Chen could not provide many details about what Biden and Netanyahu spoke about with the families of hostages, but told CNN’s Erin Burnett that both leaders offered “a promise” that they “completely understand the urgency of this moment.”
The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday it had recovered the bodies of five hostages from southern Gaza on Wednesday, adding the bodies had been held in a tunnel in an area previously designated as a “humanitarian area” by the IDF.
With the latest announcement, the Israeli authorities say 111 hostages remain in Gaza, of which 39 are believed to be dead.
The October 7 attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw more than 250 others taken hostage. The war in Gaza has dragged on for months, killing more than 39,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry there.
In a notable moment near the conclusion of her remarks, Harris told reporters that “it is important for the American people to remember, the war in Gaza is not a binary issue.”
“However, 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.”
“Let us all condemn terrorism and violence. Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians. And let us condemn antisemitism, islamophobia and hate of any kind. And let us work to unite our country,” she said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Aditi Sangal contributed to this report.
