US VP Kamala Harris Urges Israel & Hamas to Accept Immediate Six-Week Ceasefire

Alabama – Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, US Vice President Kamala Harris called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the raging war. The proclamation from the American vice president came during an event held in Alabama on Sunday which was to commemorate the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Earlier this week, the United States conducted its first airdrop of humanitarian aid in Gaza after 112 Palestinians died in the coastal enclave's northern region while rushing to get food from the humanitarian aid trucks. Bloody Sunday was the day law enforcement officers attacked Civil Rights activists crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire at least for the next six weeks, which is currently on the table,” she told the Selma crowd, drawing loud applause, Politico reported. Harris was referring to a six-week pause that would allow the release of hostages who are still in Hamas' captivity. The vice president went on to urge Israel to work on ways to increase the flow of aid in the conflict-stricken region. “No excuses,” she said, calling the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian catastrophe.” “People in Gaza are starving, the conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act," the vice president furthered. 

Harris's proclamation comes at a crucial moment 

Harris's remarks on the matter came at a very important time. According to CNN, the vice president is expected to meet with a key member of the Israeli War Cabinet, Benny Gantz, in Washington on Monday. “What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed. Women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration,” Harris explained. “Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe. People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane,” she continued.

Recalling the horrors of Bloody Sunday

On March 7, 1965, law enforcement beat over 600 demonstrators with billy clubs and sprayed them with tear gas during a march across the bridge in support of voting rights. Harris was attending the event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the devastating day. Speaking at the site of a critical moment for the civil rights movement, Harris insisted that Americans’ freedoms were again “at risk”. “Selma, the challenges we currently face are not unlike the challenges faced by those 600 brave souls 59 years ago,” she said before marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. “In this moment, we, too, then are confronted with a fundamental question: What kind of country do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a country of freedom, liberty, and justice, or a country of injustice, hate, and fear? We each have the power to answer that question, with our voice, with our feet, and with our votes,” she added. Harris went on to insist that “the fight for freedom is not over". It is important to note that this is the fifth time Harris has participated in the annual civil rights pilgrimage. She attended the event as a senator in 2018, as a presidential candidate in 2020, and as vice president in 2022.