Harris describes suffering in Gaza and need for a cease-fire deal after meeting with Netanyahu

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that she had a “frank and constructive” meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House that included her concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to finalize a cease-fire deal.

“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris told reporters after the meeting. “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”

Harris said she would "always" ensure Israel's ability to defend itself and pointed to what she described as a "hopeful movement" in talks to secure a cease-fire. She said she told Netanyahu that “it is time to get this deal done.”

“Let’s get the deal done so we can get a cease-fire to end the war. Let’s bring the hostages home, and let’s provide much-needed relief to the Palestinian people. And ultimately, I remain committed to a path forward that can lead to a two-state solution," Harris said.

She did not take any questions from reporters after her remarks.

Netanyahu’s office included a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at the White House in a post on X about the meeting. The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting Thursday night.Harris also tweeted about the meeting, summarizing her earlier recap.

The discussion took on higher stakes amid the election shake-up, as Harris runs for president after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Harris missed Netanyahu’s speech before a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday because of a previously scheduled event in Indianapolis. Typically, the vice president presides over joint addresses.

Hours earlier, Biden hosted Netanyahu in the Oval Office for a bilateral meeting, and they met for roughly an hour with families of American hostages held hostage in Gaza.

According to a White House readout of the meeting, Biden and Netanyahu discussed ongoing efforts to negotiate a cease-fire and release the hostages.

Biden “expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” the White House said, adding that he highlighted the need to safeguard civilian lives and remove any blocks to the free flow of aid into Gaza.

Biden also discussed the U.S.’ “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office before the meeting, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his 50 years of public service and his support of Israel.

“Mr. President, we’ve known each other for 40 years, and you’ve known every Israeli prime minister for 50 years from Golda Meir. So from a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” he said.

Biden offered only a few words in response before the media left, recalling meeting with Meir and joking that he was “only 12 when it happened.”

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin is among an estimated 120 hostages held by Hamas after its terrorist attack on Oct. 7, told reporters after having met with the two leaders that she thinks Biden's decision to step aside in the presidential race allows him to be "laser-focused" on bringing the hostages home."I think not having to worry about all the things surrounding a re-election allows him the freedom to focus on this. And we wish him godspeed in that task," Goldberg said.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of another hostage, Sagui Dekel-Chen, said the families obtained an "absolute commitment" from Biden and Netanyahu that they "understand the urgency of this moment now, to waste no time and to complete this deal as it currently stands, with as little change as humanly possible within it."

A senior administration official told reporters Wednesday that the administration believes a deal “is in the closing stages, and it’s reaching a point that we believe a deal is closable, and it’s time to move to close that agreement.”

Thursday marked the first time Biden and Netanyahu have met in person since Biden visited Israel shortly after Oct. 7.

Harris has been engaged on the Israel-Gaza conflict for the last 10 months, the same official said, including participating in every call with Netanyahu, as well as critical meetings like those with hostage families.

At a briefing Thursday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Biden was working with Netanyahu to fill gaps tied to striking a cease-fire deal.

Asked whether Biden believed that Netanyahu wants to strike a cease-fire deal and that he is capable and willing to bridge the gaps, Kirby said: “Yes, yes and yes. He has said so publicly himself. He wants to get the hostages home, and the Israelis, the government, Prime Minister Netanyahu, has been working with us to try to get that deal over the finish line.”

Harris' remarks about the conflict are being closely watched for any signals of her possibly taking a different approach from Biden’s toward Israel, including being more critical of Netanyahu, if she wins in November. Her position could have an impact on the so-called uncommitted movement that emerged during the primaries to protest Biden’s policies related to the war.

Asked whether Harris’ approach to foreign policy as a candidate will differ from the Biden administration’s, Kirby said, "You would have to talk to the vice president’s office and the campaign for that."

The senior administration official who spoke to reporters Wednesday said, “There will obviously be no daylight between the president and the vice president” in their respective meetings with Netanyahu.

In his speech before Congress, Netanyahu thanked Biden "for his tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages and for his efforts to the hostage families, as well."

He also thanked Biden for his leadership in his speech.

"I thank President Biden for his heartfelt support for Israel after the savage attack on Oct. 7," Netanyahu said. "He rightly called Hamas 'sheer evil.' He dispatched two aircraft carriers to the Middle East to deter a wider war. And he came to Israel to stand with us during our darkest hour — a visit that will never be forgotten."

"President Biden and I have known each other for over 40 years," he continued. "I want to thank him for half a century of friendship to Israel and for being, as he says, a proud Zionist. Actually, he says, a proud Irish American Zionist."

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his home in Florida, on Friday.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com