Harris thanks Qatar, calls to ‘accelerate’ efforts for peace

As Israel brings its hostage negotiators home from Qatar with talk on a Gaza truce hitting a dead end, US Vice President Kamala Harris calls Doha’s ruling emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to thank him for his efforts in securing the week-long pause, which allowed over 100 hostages to be released.

“The Vice President emphasized that the United States would remain committed to relentlessly pursuing the release of all the hostages in close cooperation with Qatar and other regional partners,” a White House readout says, noting that she blamed Hamas for breaching the pause in hostilities.

The two also “discussed the importance of planning for the day after the fighting ends in Gaza.”

Delivering an address on the Israel-Hamas war from the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai, Harris says she and US President Joe Biden began discussions with national security teams about post-conflict Gaza soon after October 7, calling for regional buy-in and Palestinian support.

“We must accelerate efforts to build an enduring peace,” she says. “Palestinian voices and aspirations must be at the center of this work.”

Harris says she spoke to Arab leaders in Dubai about rehabilitating Gaza, and implementing arrangements to bolster the Palestinian Authority, including strengthening the PA’s security forces, saying that until then “there must be security arrangements that are acceptable to Israel, the people of Gaza, the Palestinian Authority and the international partners.”

She also reiterates US criticism of the civilian toll of Israel’s military campaign saying “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”

Harris says she spoke to Palestinian, Muslim and Arab leaders in the US and Americans who left Gaza or have relatives there. “It is truly heartbreaking,” she says.

“As Israel pursues its military objectives in Gaza, we believe Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians,” she says.