Vice President Kamala Harris, who has emerged as one of the leading voices for Palestinians in closed-door meetings, pressed for a pause in fighting in Gaza with a member of Israel’s war cabinet, Benny Gantz, at the White House on Monday afternoon, according to the White House.
The vice president emphasized the urgency of securing a hostage deal and reducing the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded alongside Israel’s war against Hamas in response to attacks on Oct. 7.
She praised Israel’s “constructive approach” to seeking a six-week cease-fire but urged the government to do more to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to reach those in need in Gaza.
“The vice president expressed her deep concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the recent horrific tragedy around an aid convoy in northern Gaza,” a White House description of the meeting said.
It added that “she urged Israel to take additional measures in cooperation with the United States and international partners to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”The meeting came as the United States said it would continue airdrops of food that began on Saturday in an effort to confront what humanitarian groups say is a crisis for the more than one million displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in southern Gaza, as Israel prepares to deploy ground forces there.
Persons:
Kamala Harris, Benny Gantz, Israel’s, “, Harris, Biden’s, ”, Biden
Organizations:
White
Locations:
Gaza, ”, Israel, United States, Rafah, Palestinian