Kamala Harris issues sharp rebuke of Israel over
‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Gaza
The vice-president called for a ceasefire and the
immediate release of hostages, in comments that appeared to be the strongest
yet by a US leader on Gaza
Guardian
staff and agencies
Mon 4 Mar
2024 01.22 CET
US
vice-president Kamala Harris has bluntly called out Israel 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 on Sunday in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama,
where state troopers beat US 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 US 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 within the US government about the war,
which has hurt president Joe Biden’s standing 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 airdrop of aid into 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.
On Sunday,
a Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo for the latest round of ceasefire
talks, billed by many as the final possible hurdle for a truce, but it was
unclear if any progress was made. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth’s online
version reported that Israel boycotted the talks after Hamas rejected its
demand for a complete list naming hostages who are still alive.
“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”.
Washington
has insisted the ceasefire deal is close and has been pushing to put in place a
truce by the start of Ramadan, a week away. A US official on Saturday said
Israel has agreed on a framework deal.
An
agreement would bring the first extended truce of the war, which has raged for
five months so far with just a week-long pause in November. Dozens of hostages
held by Hamas militants would be freed in return for hundreds of Palestinian
detainees.
After the
Hamas delegation arrived, a Palestinian official told the Reuters news agency
the deal was “not yet there”. There was no official comment from Israel.
Qatari and
US mediators also arrived in the Egyptian capital on Sunday, according to the
state-linked Al Qahera News.
Ceasefire
talks come after the death last week of more than 100 Palestinians approaching
an aid truck in Gaza, an incident Harris recalled during her speech.
“We saw
hungry, desperate people approach aid trucks simply trying to secure food their
family after weeks of barely no aid reaching northern Gaza and they were met
with gunfire and chaos,” Harris said.
Israel said
on Sunday its initial review of the incident had found that most of those
killed or wounded had died in a crowd crush.
Military
spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli troops at the scene initially fired
only warning shots, though they later shot at some “looters” who “approached
our forces and posed an immediate threat”.
Muatasem
Salah, a member of the emergency committee at the ministry of health in Gaza,
told Reuters the Israeli account was contradicted by machine gun wounds.
In her
comments, Harris laid out specific ways in which the Israeli government could
allow more aid into Gaza.
“They must
open new border crossings. They must not impose any unnecessary restrictions on
the delivery of aid. They must ensure humanitarian personnel, sites and convoys
are not targeted, and they must work to restore basic services and promote
order in Gaza, so more food, water and fuel can reach those in need.”
With Reuters and Associated Press
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