Washington:Voicing concern for the civilian population of Palestine, US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday expressed her support for their freedom and self-determination and said that Hamas does not represent the rights of Palestinians.
Taking to X, the US Vice President said, "Israelis and Palestinians must have equal measures of security and prosperity. I support the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination. Hamas does not represent these aspirations."
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Earlier on October 12, US Vice President Kamala Harris said the US was looking at "extreme acts of terrorism" that must be condemned in no uncertain terms, stressing that there was no justification for such acts of terror. "I'm completely outraged by what has taken place. We are looking at extreme acts of terrorism that must be condemned in no uncertain terms. There is absolutely no justification for terrorism," Harris said.
Further, weighing in on the decades-old conflict in West Asia, Harris said she and President Biden take their commitment to Israel very seriously. "The President and I take very seriously our commitment to Israel, to support them and give Israel what it needs to defend itself," she added. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden shared that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has agreed to open the Rafah border crossing to allow roughly 20 trucks to provide humanitarian aid into Gaza. Aboard Air Force One, Biden told reporters that when he took off for Israel, his key goal was to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and ensure there is a vehicle, a mechanism for it to happen quickly.
"And so, I have been on the phone for the last -- I don't know. We've been on the ground a while. That's why we haven't taken off -- with El-Sisi. I don't think I was on that long. It was about probably half an hour. And both -- my team here was with me. And he agreed that what he would do is open the gate -- to do two things: one, let up to 20 trucks through to begin with. Satterfield, my ambassador, is down there in -- not down there -- in Cairo now. He's going to coordinate this. He has my authority to do what is needed to get it done," Biden said in a press gaggle on board Air Force 1 at Ramstein base, Germany.
Sharing details about his conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on X, he said, "Earlier, I spoke with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt to deepen our coordination on urgently delivering humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza. Together, we'll work to preserve stability in the region, prevent escalation, and set circumstances for durable peace."
Meanwhile, Israel Defence Force (IDF) on Thursday refuted claims made by the Palestinian side that Israel was behind the bomb explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza. The IDF also poked holes in the claims made by Hamas that several people had been killed in the explosion. In a video briefing, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus while reiterating the Israeli PM's statement that the Islamic Jihad was behind the explosion at the Hospital said that the preliminary analysis suggests that the "rocket" exploded in the car parking and it seemed like no one was killed in the incident.
