U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz at the White House on Monday. The aim is to facilitate discussions on achieving a temporary ceasefire and enhancing aid to Gaza.
These talks, initially reported, are anticipated to cover various subjects, such as minimizing civilian casualties among Palestinians, negotiating a temporary ceasefire, securing the release of hostages detained in Gaza, and bolstering aid to the region, as stated by a White House official.
“The Vice President will express her concern over the safety of the as many as 1.5 million people in Rafah,” the official said, adding that Israel also had a “right to defend itself in the face of continued Hamas terrorist threats.”
A statement from Gantz confirmed his scheduled meetings with Vice President Harris, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and bipartisan members of the U.S. Congress.
“Minister Gantz personally updated the prime minister on his own initiative on Friday of his intention to travel, in order to coordinate the messages to be transmitted in the meetings,” the statement said.
Gantz, Israel’s former military chief and defense minister, also stands as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s primary political competitor in opinion polls. His visit to Washington poses a potential challenge to Netanyahu, who has faced criticism from U.S. President Joe Biden.
In December, Biden remarked that Israel’s “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza was causing it to lose support, urging Netanyahu to consider change, thereby revealing a strain in relations with the Israeli prime minister.
Additionally, Harris and Gantz will delve into post-war reconstruction plans for Gaza under the Palestinian Authority, as per the White House official. Meanwhile, the U.S. military conducted its inaugural airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Saturday.
Aid agencies have sounded alarms over a burgeoning humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave amid Israel’s ongoing offensive.
The announcement of plans for the U.S. airdrop came from Biden on Friday, following a tragic incident where Palestinians queuing for aid lost their lives, drawing renewed focus on the humanitarian crisis.
Health authorities in Gaza reported 118 casualties in Thursday’s event, attributing the deaths to Israeli fire and labeling it a massacre. Israel, however, disputed these figures, stating that most victims were trampled or run over.
Israel initiated the offensive in response to an attack by the Palestinian militant group on Oct. 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 individuals in Israel and the abduction of another 253, according to Israeli accounts.
International pressure for a ceasefire has intensified, with Gaza health authorities reporting over 30,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza offensive.
The UN has issued a warning, stating that a quarter of the population is on the brink of famine.
The United States and other nations anticipate that aid efforts will be bolstered by a temporary ceasefire. President Biden expressed hope on Friday that such a ceasefire would be in place by the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on March 10.
Gaza truce negotiations are set to recommence in Cairo on Sunday, as confirmed by two Egyptian security sources.
However, an Israeli news outlet indicated that Israel would refrain from sending a delegation until it receives a comprehensive list of Israeli hostages still alive.
According to the Egyptian sources, both Israeli and Hamas delegations are expected to convene in Cairo on Sunday.