Kamala Harris Calls for ‘Immediate Ceasefire’ in Gaza
Peter Wade
Peter Wade
ROLLING STONE
Sun, March 3, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling on Hamas to accept a deal currently “on the table” and pressing Israel to allow additional aid into the area. Harris called the current conditions in Gaza “inhumane” and a “humanitarian catastrophe.” United Nations experts have warned that famine is imminent.
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said during remarks in Selma, Ala., to mark the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when police beat peaceful protesters during a 1965 civil rights march.
“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.”
Sun, March 3, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling on Hamas to accept a deal currently “on the table” and pressing Israel to allow additional aid into the area. Harris called the current conditions in Gaza “inhumane” and a “humanitarian catastrophe.” United Nations experts have warned that famine is imminent.
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said during remarks in Selma, Ala., to mark the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when police beat peaceful protesters during a 1965 civil rights march.
“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.”
The move comes amid pressure from progressives in Congress and the public to halt the assault on Gaza. Since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, Israel’s military has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Biden early last week said he hoped for a ceasefire agreement by Monday. This past Thursday, more than 100 Palestinians lining up for food aid were killed when Israeli forces opened fire. Biden said that day that the incident complicated ceasefire talks.
“We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas on the hostages being returned and immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks and to allow the surge of aid through the entire Gaza Strip,” the president said Friday.
Biden expressed hope that the sides could reach a deal before the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that starts on March 10. The deal under discussion, with moderation from Qatar and Egypt, would have Hamas free approximately 40 Israeli hostages — including women, female soldiers, and men over the age of 50 or men who are in serious medical condition, Axios reported.
For its part of the deal, in addition to pausing hostilities, Israel would allow Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza strip. It is unclear how many Palestinian prisoners Hamas plans to ask for in return. Israel has an estimated 7,000 Palestinians in custody in its prisons, and many are without charges, according to human rights groups. The majority have never been convicted of a crime. As many as 134 hostages are currently being held by Hamas. Another 32 are confirmed dead. Hamas has refused to release a complete list of hostages that are currently alive, which led Israel to boycott peace talks on Sunday.
“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 Sunday. “Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza.”
“We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas on the hostages being returned and immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks and to allow the surge of aid through the entire Gaza Strip,” the president said Friday.
Biden expressed hope that the sides could reach a deal before the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that starts on March 10. The deal under discussion, with moderation from Qatar and Egypt, would have Hamas free approximately 40 Israeli hostages — including women, female soldiers, and men over the age of 50 or men who are in serious medical condition, Axios reported.
For its part of the deal, in addition to pausing hostilities, Israel would allow Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza strip. It is unclear how many Palestinian prisoners Hamas plans to ask for in return. Israel has an estimated 7,000 Palestinians in custody in its prisons, and many are without charges, according to human rights groups. The majority have never been convicted of a crime. As many as 134 hostages are currently being held by Hamas. Another 32 are confirmed dead. Hamas has refused to release a complete list of hostages that are currently alive, which led Israel to boycott peace talks on Sunday.
“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 Sunday. “Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza.”
Jayapal says Harris calling for 6-week cease-fire ‘important,’ calls to ‘back it up with policy shift’
Nick Robertson
Sun, March 3, 2024
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) praised Vice President Kamala Harris for pushing for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war on Sunday, but urged the Biden administration to follow through on the words amid rising pressure from Democrats.
“The VP has called for an immediate ceasefire, and urgent aid into Gaza,” Jayapal wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This is the first time this language has been used by the administration. It is important. Now let’s back it up with policy shift.”
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said during remarks in Selma, Alabama, Sunday.
Harris also criticized the Israeli government, denouncing the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and calling on the country to facilitate more aid deliveries for Palestinian civilians.
The vice president’s remarks were some of the most definitive criticisms of the Israeli government from the Biden administration, as the White House increases pressure on the country over civilian deaths.
Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has been a leading force in urging the Biden administration to back a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Biden has refused to push for a permanent cease-fire, but has redoubled efforts for a short-term pause amid tense negotiations.
The Israeli government agreed to the framework of a proposed six-week cease-fire on Saturday, The Associated Press reported, a sign of progress in negotiations.
President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza as negotiations continue over a temporary cease-fire. Biden added to criticism of Israel on Friday over the amount of aid allowed into the region.
“Innocent people got caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid. And we need to do more, and the United States will do more,” Biden said.
“The truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line, and children’s lives are on the line,” he added.
The airdrops began early Saturday. Harris applauded the aid deliveries and noted that the U.S. will work to establish a sea route for aid to enter Gaza.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” she said Sunday. “No excuses.
Updated Sun, March 3, 2024
By Jeff Mason
(Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris bluntly called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure to rein in its close ally while it wages war with Hamas militants.
Harris, speaking in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where state troopers beat U.S. civil rights marchers nearly six decades ago, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept a deal to release hostages in return for a 6-week cessation of hostilities.
But she directed the bulk of her comments at Israel in what appeared to be the sharpest rebuke yet by a senior leader in the U.S. government over the conditions in the coastal enclave.
"People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act," Harris said at an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Alabama. "The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses," Harris said.
Her comments reflected intense frustration, if not desperation, within the U.S. government about the war, which has hurt President Joe Biden with left-leaning voters as he seeks re-election this year.
Harris said Israel must open new border crossings, not impose "unnecessary restrictions" on aid delivery, protect humanitarian personnel and convoys from becoming targets, and work to restore basic services and promote order so that "more food, water and fuel can reach those in need."
The United States carried out its first air drop of aid in Gaza on Saturday and Harris is scheduled to meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday at the White House, where she is expected to deliver a similarly direct message.
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."
'FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IS NOT OVER'
After concluding her remarks about the Middle East, Harris, the first Black and Asian American woman to serve as No. 2 to the commander-in-chief, turned her attention to the events of Selma and the ongoing effort to address racial inequality.
"Today we know our fight for freedom is not over," she said. "Because in this moment we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard fought, hard won freedoms, starting with the freedom that unlocks all others: the freedom to vote," Harris said, citing laws in states across the country that ban ballot drop boxes, limit early voting and, in Georgia, made it illegal to give food and water to people waiting in line to vote.
At the beginning of their time in office, Biden appointed Harris to lead their administration's efforts to advance voting rights, but the effort largely fizzled without enough votes in Congress to pass new laws on the issue.
Biden has said democracy is on the ballot in the 2024 election, in which he is likely to face former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination who sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election that Biden won.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Michelle NicholsEditing by Diane Craft)
US VP Harris rebukes Israel for Gaza 'catastrophe'
Reuters Videos
Updated Sun, March 3, 2024
STORY: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza in what appeared to be the sharpest rebuke yet by a senior leader in the U.S. government.
“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane, and our common humanity compels us to act.”
“...and the Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
Speaking in Alabama, Harris said Israel must open new border crossings and not impose "unnecessary restrictions" on aid delivery.
She also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and urged Hamas to accept a deal to release hostages in return for a pause in fighting.
[Kamala Harris]
“And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.”
The comments come after an aid delivery disaster last week near Gaza City in which 115 people were killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
They attribute the deaths to Israeli forces who they say fired on Palestinians as they rushed towards aid delivery trucks.
Israel disputed the death toll figure, and said most victims were trampled or run over.
Harris’ comments reflect intense frustration, if not desperation, within the U.S. government about the war, which has hurt President Joe Biden with left-leaning voters as he seeks re-election this year.
Harris is scheduled to meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday at the White House, where she is expected to deliver a similarly direct message.
Kamala Harris Calls On Hamas To Agree To Immediate 6-Week Cease-Fire
Taiyler S. Mitchell
Sun, March 3, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge during an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama, on Sunday. SAUL LOEB AFP via Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as Israel’s relentless bombardment of the region pushes forward.
“The threat of Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated. And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table” Harris said Sunday in Selma, Alabama. Harris made her appearance at the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a speech on the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.”
“This will get the hostages out and a significant amount of aid in. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination,” she added.
Harris’ remarks followed President Joe Biden’s recently watered-down optimism for the 6-week cease-fire, as well as his Friday approval of sending humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Earlier this week, a White House official said that the Israelis “have more or less accepted” the cease-fire proposal, which both Israel and Hamas militants would need to agree to.
Harris’ push for the cease-fire also comes days after Israel Defense Forces killed more than 100 people and injured more than 750 others who gathered outside of food aid trucks for food.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses,” said Harris.
“As President Joe Biden said on Friday, the United States is committed to urgently get more lifesaving assistance, to innocent Palestinians in need. Yesterday, the Department of Defense carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian assistance. And the United States will continue these airdrops. And we will work on a new route, by sea, to deliver aid,” she added.
The current conflict most recently stems from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel where the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 people and took approximately 250 others hostage ― but tensions between Israel and Gaza, as well as Israel’s atrocities against the people in the region, began further back. Since Oct. 7, Israel has killed more than 30,200 people and injured more than 71,000 others in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Many more are facing starvation.
“Vice President Harris’s push for a temporary cease-fire, or what the administration used to call a humanitarian pause, is half a step forward,” IfNotNow national spokesperson Eva Borgwardt said in a statement emailed to HuffPost.
IfNotNow is an organization and movement working to stop the U.S.’s support of “Israel’s apartheid system” and to ensure the welfare of all Palestinians and Israelis.
“It makes the ongoing weapons transfers to Israel that much more indefensible. True peace requires the Biden-Harris administration to halt weapons transfers, demand Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza alongside a full hostage exchange, and lay out a timetable for Israel to end its apartheid rule over Palestinians,” Borgwardt added.
Harris calls Gaza ‘humanitarian catastrophe,’ urges Israel to increase aid
Nick Robertson
Sun, March 3, 2024
Vice President Harris pressured the Israeli government to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday, calling the situation in the war-torn region a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
“What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating,” Harris said in a Selma, Ala., speech on Sunday. “We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal food. Women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.”
The Biden administration has turned up criticism of Israel in recent weeks over humanitarian conditions in Gaza, especially after the killing of more than 100 civilians attempting to receive aid Thursday.
“As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” she said. “Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe.”
“People in Gaza are starving,” she added. “The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.”
President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza as negotiations continue over a temporary cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Biden added to criticism of Israel on Friday over the amount of aid allowed into the region.
“Innocent people got caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid. And we need to do more, and the United States will do more,” Biden said.
“The truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line, and children’s lives are on the line,” he added.
The airdrops began early Saturday. Harris applauded the aid deliveries and noted that the U.S. will work to establish a sea route for aid to enter Gaza.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” she said. “No excuses.”
Biden has faced growing pressure from Democrats to call for a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as the situation in Gaza worsens, and the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s attacks climbs above 30,000.
The Israeli government agreed to the framework of a proposed six-week cease-fire on Saturday, The Associated Press reported, a sign of progress in negotiations.
Nick Robertson
Sun, March 3, 2024
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) praised Vice President Kamala Harris for pushing for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war on Sunday, but urged the Biden administration to follow through on the words amid rising pressure from Democrats.
“The VP has called for an immediate ceasefire, and urgent aid into Gaza,” Jayapal wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This is the first time this language has been used by the administration. It is important. Now let’s back it up with policy shift.”
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said during remarks in Selma, Alabama, Sunday.
Harris also criticized the Israeli government, denouncing the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and calling on the country to facilitate more aid deliveries for Palestinian civilians.
The vice president’s remarks were some of the most definitive criticisms of the Israeli government from the Biden administration, as the White House increases pressure on the country over civilian deaths.
Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has been a leading force in urging the Biden administration to back a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Biden has refused to push for a permanent cease-fire, but has redoubled efforts for a short-term pause amid tense negotiations.
The Israeli government agreed to the framework of a proposed six-week cease-fire on Saturday, The Associated Press reported, a sign of progress in negotiations.
President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza as negotiations continue over a temporary cease-fire. Biden added to criticism of Israel on Friday over the amount of aid allowed into the region.
“Innocent people got caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid. And we need to do more, and the United States will do more,” Biden said.
“The truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line, and children’s lives are on the line,” he added.
The airdrops began early Saturday. Harris applauded the aid deliveries and noted that the U.S. will work to establish a sea route for aid to enter Gaza.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” she said Sunday. “No excuses.
In blunt remarks, US VP Harris calls out Israel over "catastrophe" in Gaza
Updated Sun, March 3, 2024
By Jeff Mason
(Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris bluntly called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure to rein in its close ally while it wages war with Hamas militants.
Harris, speaking in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where state troopers beat U.S. civil rights marchers nearly six decades ago, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept a deal to release hostages in return for a 6-week cessation of hostilities.
But she directed the bulk of her comments at Israel in what appeared to be the sharpest rebuke yet by a senior leader in the U.S. government over the conditions in the coastal enclave.
"People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act," Harris said at an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Alabama. "The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses," Harris said.
Her comments reflected intense frustration, if not desperation, within the U.S. government about the war, which has hurt President Joe Biden with left-leaning voters as he seeks re-election this year.
Harris said Israel must open new border crossings, not impose "unnecessary restrictions" on aid delivery, protect humanitarian personnel and convoys from becoming targets, and work to restore basic services and promote order so that "more food, water and fuel can reach those in need."
The United States carried out its first air drop of aid in Gaza on Saturday and Harris is scheduled to meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday at the White House, where she is expected to deliver a similarly direct message.
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."
'FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IS NOT OVER'
After concluding her remarks about the Middle East, Harris, the first Black and Asian American woman to serve as No. 2 to the commander-in-chief, turned her attention to the events of Selma and the ongoing effort to address racial inequality.
"Today we know our fight for freedom is not over," she said. "Because in this moment we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard fought, hard won freedoms, starting with the freedom that unlocks all others: the freedom to vote," Harris said, citing laws in states across the country that ban ballot drop boxes, limit early voting and, in Georgia, made it illegal to give food and water to people waiting in line to vote.
At the beginning of their time in office, Biden appointed Harris to lead their administration's efforts to advance voting rights, but the effort largely fizzled without enough votes in Congress to pass new laws on the issue.
Biden has said democracy is on the ballot in the 2024 election, in which he is likely to face former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination who sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election that Biden won.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Michelle NicholsEditing by Diane Craft)
US VP Harris rebukes Israel for Gaza 'catastrophe'
Reuters Videos
Updated Sun, March 3, 2024
STORY: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza in what appeared to be the sharpest rebuke yet by a senior leader in the U.S. government.
“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane, and our common humanity compels us to act.”
“...and the Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
Speaking in Alabama, Harris said Israel must open new border crossings and not impose "unnecessary restrictions" on aid delivery.
She also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and urged Hamas to accept a deal to release hostages in return for a pause in fighting.
[Kamala Harris]
“And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.”
The comments come after an aid delivery disaster last week near Gaza City in which 115 people were killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
They attribute the deaths to Israeli forces who they say fired on Palestinians as they rushed towards aid delivery trucks.
Israel disputed the death toll figure, and said most victims were trampled or run over.
Harris’ comments reflect intense frustration, if not desperation, within the U.S. government about the war, which has hurt President Joe Biden with left-leaning voters as he seeks re-election this year.
Harris is scheduled to meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday at the White House, where she is expected to deliver a similarly direct message.
Kamala Harris Calls On Hamas To Agree To Immediate 6-Week Cease-Fire
Taiyler S. Mitchell
Sun, March 3, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge during an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama, on Sunday. SAUL LOEB AFP via Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as Israel’s relentless bombardment of the region pushes forward.
“The threat of Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated. And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table” Harris said Sunday in Selma, Alabama. Harris made her appearance at the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a speech on the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.”
“This will get the hostages out and a significant amount of aid in. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination,” she added.
Harris’ remarks followed President Joe Biden’s recently watered-down optimism for the 6-week cease-fire, as well as his Friday approval of sending humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Earlier this week, a White House official said that the Israelis “have more or less accepted” the cease-fire proposal, which both Israel and Hamas militants would need to agree to.
Harris’ push for the cease-fire also comes days after Israel Defense Forces killed more than 100 people and injured more than 750 others who gathered outside of food aid trucks for food.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses,” said Harris.
“As President Joe Biden said on Friday, the United States is committed to urgently get more lifesaving assistance, to innocent Palestinians in need. Yesterday, the Department of Defense carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian assistance. And the United States will continue these airdrops. And we will work on a new route, by sea, to deliver aid,” she added.
The current conflict most recently stems from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel where the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 people and took approximately 250 others hostage ― but tensions between Israel and Gaza, as well as Israel’s atrocities against the people in the region, began further back. Since Oct. 7, Israel has killed more than 30,200 people and injured more than 71,000 others in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Many more are facing starvation.
“Vice President Harris’s push for a temporary cease-fire, or what the administration used to call a humanitarian pause, is half a step forward,” IfNotNow national spokesperson Eva Borgwardt said in a statement emailed to HuffPost.
IfNotNow is an organization and movement working to stop the U.S.’s support of “Israel’s apartheid system” and to ensure the welfare of all Palestinians and Israelis.
“It makes the ongoing weapons transfers to Israel that much more indefensible. True peace requires the Biden-Harris administration to halt weapons transfers, demand Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza alongside a full hostage exchange, and lay out a timetable for Israel to end its apartheid rule over Palestinians,” Borgwardt added.
Harris calls Gaza ‘humanitarian catastrophe,’ urges Israel to increase aid
Nick Robertson
Sun, March 3, 2024
Vice President Harris pressured the Israeli government to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday, calling the situation in the war-torn region a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
“What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating,” Harris said in a Selma, Ala., speech on Sunday. “We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal food. Women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.”
The Biden administration has turned up criticism of Israel in recent weeks over humanitarian conditions in Gaza, especially after the killing of more than 100 civilians attempting to receive aid Thursday.
“As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” she said. “Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe.”
“People in Gaza are starving,” she added. “The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.”
President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza as negotiations continue over a temporary cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Biden added to criticism of Israel on Friday over the amount of aid allowed into the region.
“Innocent people got caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid. And we need to do more, and the United States will do more,” Biden said.
“The truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line, and children’s lives are on the line,” he added.
The airdrops began early Saturday. Harris applauded the aid deliveries and noted that the U.S. will work to establish a sea route for aid to enter Gaza.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” she said. “No excuses.”
Biden has faced growing pressure from Democrats to call for a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as the situation in Gaza worsens, and the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s attacks climbs above 30,000.
The Israeli government agreed to the framework of a proposed six-week cease-fire on Saturday, The Associated Press reported, a sign of progress in negotiations.
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