US Vice President Harris calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ due to ‘immense scale of suffering in Gaza’

In a speech in Selma, Alabama, marking the 59th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when Alabama state troopers attacked a peaceful civil rights march as it crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said there should be “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. 

“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire, at least for the next six weeks,” Harris said during her remarks at the commemoration event.

“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act,” Harris stated. 

The vice president’s comments marked the highest-level call for a ceasefire by a member of Biden's administration. 

The Biden administration has come under increased pressure to call for a ceasefire from younger American Democrat voters and party members. 

U.S. President Joe Biden said he hopes to achieve a ceasefire before Ramadan, which begins on Sunday.

Harris cited “reports of families eating leaves or animal feed” but did not state where the reports came from. 

Israel has increased the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip and has allowed humanitarian aid airdrops by Arab nations like Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a recent airdrop by the United States last Thursday. 

Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy has accused the United Nations of not picking up the aid in a timely fashion after it crosses the border into Gaza.

A growing number of nations have increased calls for a ceasefire, while in Israel, several coalition members have indicated that Israel will not agree to further negotiations for a deal unless Hamas provides the names of the status of the remaining hostages in Gaza, including whether or not they are still living.

Despite the increased pressure on Israel by the international community to agree to a ceasefire, very few nations have placed such demands on the Hamas terrorist organization.

In her speech, Harris said that “the threat that Hamas poses to Israel must be eliminated.”

However, the Biden administration has not provided any explanation for how it envisions Israel eliminating the threat of Hamas without continuing the ground campaign in Gaza. 

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel "will not end this war without eliminating Hamas."

The terror group has not made any concessions in hostage negotiation talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently accused Hamas leaders of taking a hardline approach. 

On Monday, Harris will meet with War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz at the White House. Gantz is currently in Washington to meet with Republican and Democrat members of Congress.

According to a U.S. official, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will also attend the meeting. 

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu did not authorize Gantz to speak for the Israeli government and is furious with the former defense minister for traveling there without his approval.