Kamala Harris Takes Firm Stance After Meeting With Netanyahu

Vice President Kamala Harris adamantly called for a ceasefire to the war in Gaza following her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

Harris told reporters after her meeting in Washington, D.C., that she told the Israeli leader that "it is time" to reach an end to the war and bring those kidnapped during Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel home. Her comments follow just four days into her freshly-launched presidential campaign.

"I've said it many times, but it bears repeating," Harris said. "Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters."

Israel's military response to Hamas' attacks, which according to Palestinian health officials cited by the Associated Press has killed over 39,000 people, has had a ripple effect across the globe. President Joe Biden has faced immense amounts of backlash for Washington's continued support of the Israel Defense Forces despite the high civilian death toll and lack of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

"What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating," Harris said on Thursday. "The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced by the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent."

Thousands of protestors gathered in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in response to Netanyahu's joint address before Congress, during which the Israeli leader did not mention plans for a ceasefire deal with Hamas leaders.

Biden also pressed Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire on Thursday during the president's first face-to-face talks with the prime minister since the start of the war in Gaza. White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said during a press conference while Biden and Netanyahu met that Washington is "closer now than we've been before" in securing a deal but added, "Both sides have to make compromises."

This is a developing story. It will be updated as information becomes available

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