“Hamas claims it wants a cease-fire,” Harris said at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. “Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal.”
The Biden administration has pushed to conclude a months-long effort to secure a cease-fire in Gaza before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins March 10. A White House official said this weekend that Israel had agreed to elements of a cease-fire deal and that Israel was waiting for Hamas to respond to questions regarding which and how many hostages in Gaza would be swapped for Israeli-detained prisoners.
In a rebuke of one of the United States’ closest allies, Harris also criticized Israel over conditions in Gaza days after more than 100 people were killed in Gaza City while converging at a humanitarian aid convoy. Harris called the incident a “horrific tragedy” and demanded that Israel open additional border crossings into Gaza, restore basic services in the region, and ensure that humanitarian sites and convoys are not targeted.
“The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid,” Harris said. “No excuses.”
The Biden administration has been under increasing pressure to prompt a cease-fire in Gaza. During Michigan’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, about 101,000 people voted “uncommitted” rather than for Biden, who received about 620,000 votes. Although the Biden campaign noted that the results were not out of line with previous votes, Arab American advocates said the unexpectedly high number was a sign that the president is losing support among traditionally staunch supporters because of his administration’s steadfast support for Israel.
Harris is scheduled to meet Monday with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, at the White House. She will express the administration’s desire for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, according to a White House official who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss the encounter that the Biden administration had not publicly announced. Gantz’s National Unity Party said he would also meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the trip, the Associated Press reported.
Harris made the comments in Selma during a speech for the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when a group of civil rights protesters marching out of Selma were attacked by state troopers on March 7, 1965.
This is a developing story that will be updated.