US Vice President Kamala Harris has said that she and President Joe Biden are working to end the war in the Gaza Strip as she closed out the Democratic National Convention.
Harris declared that she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating," she said. “Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. ... President Biden and I are working to end this war.”
She indicated that the suffering could end with a ceasefire and the release of hostages taken in the October raid carried out by Hamas militants.
Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, the White House said.
The Israeli offensive launched in response to the Hamas raid has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza.