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During a trip to Alabama on Sunday Harris urged Hamas to agree
to a six-week ceasefire and said Israel must do more to let aid
flow freely into Gaza, where conditions, she said, were
"inhumane."
Biden has been a staunch ally of Israel and has not wavered in
his support since the Oct. 7 attack by Iran-backed Hamas that
killed some 1,200 people sparked an offensive by Israel in Gaza
that Palestinian authorities say has left more than 30,000 dead.
Biden has been pushing for a 6-week ceasefire to get aid into
Gaza and hostages out of the enclave.
“The president and I have been aligned and consistent from the
very beginning,” Harris said when asked by a Reuters reporter
whether there was any distance between her and Biden on the
issue.
"Israel has a right to defend itself. Far too many Palestinian
civilians, innocent civilians, have been killed. We need to get
more aid in. We need to get the hostages out. And that remains
our position," she said.
Hamas and Egyptian mediators said on Monday they were pressing
on with talks on securing a ceasefire in Gaza, despite Israel's
decision not to send a delegation. The United States has said
Israel has largely agreed to a deal but Hamas must agree to
release its hostages.
"It is important that we all understand that ... we’re in a
window of time right now where we can actually get a hostage
deal done," Harris told reporters in Washington. "We all want
this conflict to end as soon as possible, and how it does
matters."
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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