Israel’s Smotrich attacks Harris over call for war ceasefire in Gaza

Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has attacked US Vice President Kamala Harris over her call for a war ceasefire in Gaza, accusing her of favoring a Gaza ceasefire deal that would see Israel “surrendering” to Hamas.
“Kamala Harris revealed to the whole world what I have been saying for weeks, what is really behind the deal,” he said on X.
“Surrendering to [Hamas military leader] Sinwar, ending the war in a way that would allow Hamas to rehabilitate and release most of the abductees in Hamas captivity. Do not fall into this trap!”
The far-right minister’s comments came after Harris vowed to not be “silent” on suffering in Gaza.
“Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters. What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told reporters in remarks after her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in Washington.
“The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. 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,” she continued.
Recalling the details of the proposed US-backed ceasefire and hostage deal, Harris said that “it is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.”
The vice president said there has been “hopeful movement” in the talks and that she pushed the prime minister to bring the war to a close.
“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done,” she said. “So to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you.”