US Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden marked one year since the October 7 attacks in Israel by calling for a ceasefire and hostage agreement.
“We will not stop working to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that brings the hostages home, allows for an increase in humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering there, ensures Israel’s security, and ends this war,” Biden wrote. .
“Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in security, dignity and peace,” he added.
Furthermore, the president highlighted: “On this solemn anniversary, we will witness the unspeakable brutality of the October 7 attacks, but also the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day.”
Request for diplomatic solution
Kamala and Biden also called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which also escalated to Lebanon, with a war against Hezbollah. Still, both leaders reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of Iranian attacks.
“It is past time for a hostage agreement and ceasefire to end the suffering of innocent people. And I will always fight for the Palestinian people to have their right to dignity, freedom, security and self-determination,” wrote Kamala.
“We also continue to believe that a diplomatic solution in the Israel-Lebanon border region is the only path to restoring lasting calm and allowing residents on both sides to safely return to their homes,” he added.
The vice president also said that she is “devastated” by the loss and pain felt since the October 7 attack, which started the war in Gaza.
“We will not forget and we will not lose faith. And in honor of all the souls we lost on October 7th, we must never lose sight of the dream of peace, dignity and security for all,” he wrote.
memorial tree
Kamala Harris will mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks at her Naval Observatory residence, where, along with U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, she will plant a memorial tree, according to a White House official.
The families of US vice presidents traditionally plant trees on the grounds of the politician’s residence.
Monday’s planting of a pomegranate tree — which, among other things, represents hope and righteousness in Judaism — will mark the first time Kamalas and Emhoff have done so while at the residence, according to the official.
Harris and Emhoff, who is Jewish, are also expected to comment to reporters on Monday. The vice president will reflect on October 7 and reaffirm her commitment to the security of Israel and the Jewish people, according to the official interviewed by the report.
Rising violence in the Middle East has been one of the thorniest issues for Kamala Harris, who has taken the Democratic ticket.
Arab-American advocates and leaders have pressed for the vice president to distance herself from President Joe Biden’s policy toward Israel, including during a meeting in Michigan on Friday.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel has carried out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since last year, after Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. Furthermore, the radical group holds dozens of hostages.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli Army carries out land incursions into Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced.
The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
About a year into the conflict, the Israeli population took to the streets in protests against Netanyahu, accusing the prime minister of failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so the hostages could be released.
This content was originally published in Kamala calls for ceasefire and hostage agreement on the day that marks one year since the Hamas attack on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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