Harris Calls For Gaza Cease-Fire, Release Of Israeli Hostages

Destroyed homes following Israeli bombardment in Rafah on March 3.

(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris called for a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as talks drag on over a deal to release hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attacks.

US officials said on Saturday that Israel had essentially agreed to a six-week cease-fire if Hamas hands over hostages categorized as vulnerable. Hamas said its delegates were traveling to Cairo to outline the group's position on the talks, though a senior Israeli official said the country won't send a delegation unless it gets certain information from the group.

Meanwhile, Benny Gantz, a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, is expected to travel to the White House on Monday to discuss the path ahead.

The threat Hamas “poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated,” Harris said Sunday in Selma, Alabama, adding that too many Palestinian civilians have been caught up in the conflict. “Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.”

The Biden administration has faced increasing political pressure to step in. US and Jordanian forces airdropped about 38,000 meals on Saturday, with further airdrops planned, following an outbreak of violence last week in which hungry Palestinians were killed near an aid convoy in northern Gaza. Israel's military said it's reviewing the incident after accounts that its forces fired on people trying to reach the aid trucks. Israel said most victims died in a stampede for the assistance.

A cease-fire has been a priority for Palestinian-Americans and progressives who have condemned the killings of civilians in Gaza. Roughly 100,000 voters, or more than 13%, turned in “uncommitted” primary ballots in Michigan after calls by activists. Protesters almost penetrated the security perimeter around the president's motorcade in San Francisco last month.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. About 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel, and another 250 were kidnapped. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.

“Hamas claims it wants a cease-fire. Well, there is a deal on the table, and as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal,” Harris said.

The US vice president is due to meet with Gantz at the White House on Monday, according to a White House official. Gantz is also set to meet with Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser.

--With assistance from Josh Wingrove.

(Updates with Benny Gantz visit to Washington.)

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