Kamala Harris made a passionate plea on Sunday, calling for an urgent cease-fire in Gaza amidst escalating tensions. She emphasized the need for Hamas to accept a proposed six-week pause and urged Israel to step up aid to the enclave facing a dire humanitarian crisis.

I join US @VP Kamala Harris' call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. There should then be no obstacle for a #UNSC resolution to that effect.@VP rightly said that too many people have been killed and urged Israel to allow unimpeded humanitarian access. Time for the UNSC to act.

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 4, 2024

Addressing the situation in Selma, Ala., Harris’s words resonated with urgency: “What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating,” she said. “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. As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”

Harris didn’t mince words regarding Hamas, labeling it a “brutal terrorist organization” that must be dealt with. She stressed the necessity of an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks to alleviate the suffering in Gaza.

President Joe Biden’s recent efforts for a peace agreement were echoed by Harris, who highlighted the need for both sides to come to the table. However, she also voiced frustration with Israel’s response to recent events, stating, “The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated.”

The political ramifications of the Biden administration’s stance on Israel were not lost on Harris, who acknowledged the growing divide within the Democratic Party and the broader public. She called for Israel to do more in facilitating the flow of aid into Gaza and condemned the recent violence directed at desperate civilians seeking assistance.

Harris’s impassioned remarks, delivered against the backdrop of the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, served as a stark reminder of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As the world watches, the urgency for a cease-fire grows, with the vice president’s words amplifying the call for immediate action.