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White House Talks Focus on Gaza Ceasefire and Humanitarian Crisis

During a meeting at the White House, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the war in Gaza and the potential for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to Euronews.

This marked Netanyahu's first visit to the White House since 2020, following a fiery speech in Congress in which he vowed “total victory” over Hamas and criticised American critics of the Gaza conflict as “idiots.”

Kamala Harris expressed “serious concern about the extent of human suffering in Gaza” during her discussions with Netanyahu in Washington. “The images of dead children and desperate, starving individuals fleeing in search of safety, often displaced for the second, third, or fourth time. We cannot ignore these tragedies. We cannot afford to become insensitive to suffering, and I will not remain silent,” Harris stated.

She characterised her discussions with Netanyahu as “sincere and constructive” and emphasised that, while she acknowledges Israel's right to self-defence, “the manner in which it does so is important.”

Netanyahu's visit to the White House comes amid growing pressure in both Israel and the United States to find a resolution to the nine-month war that has resulted in the deaths of over 39,000 people in Gaza and approximately 1,200 in Israel.

The talks between Netanyahu and Harris, who is regarded as the likely Democratic presidential candidate following Joe Biden’s announcement last week that he will not seek re-election, occurred after a meeting with President Biden earlier on Thursday.

Biden is urging Israel and Hamas to accept his proposal for the phased release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, which would represent a significant achievement for the 81-year-old president.

White House officials report that ceasefire negotiations, which have been stalled for weeks, are now in the final stages, though several issues still need to be resolved.

Additionally, on Thursday, the State Department urged the Israeli government to carefully consider the future of Gaza following the end of the conflict with Hamas.

“In the absence of realistic plans for the post-conflict period, either Israel will occupy Gaza, which we reject, or Hamas will remain in power, which is clearly not in Israel’s interest, or there will be chaos and anarchy,” stated spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a “total disaster.”

“With complete insecurity, a total lack of law, and the persistent obstacles of ongoing negotiations—where difficulties are compounded by issues related to security equipment, so-called dual-use items, and other necessities for effective humanitarian aid—the situation remains dire,” Guterres said.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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