US Vice-President Harris presses Israel's Gantz on aid for Gaza

US Vice-President Kamala Harris expressed "deep concern" over Gaza in talks with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, the White House says.

In a statement, Ms Harris's office said she had urged Israel to let more aid into Gaza, while calling on Hamas to accept terms for a ceasefire.

It said they discussed the need for a "credible" humanitarian plan before any major military operation in Rafah.

The US is ramping up pressure on Israel to facilitate more aid for Gaza.

US President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election this November, is facing political pressure from fellow Democrats over his handling of the Israel-Gaza war.

Mr Gantz's visit is being seen as a snub to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has yet to receive an invitation to the White House 15 months after his right-wing coalition took office.

The moderate chairman of Israel's National Unity Party, Mr Gantz has proved a stiff political opponent to Mr Netanyahu, despite joining him as a member of his war cabinet after the attack nearly five months ago by Hamas that triggered the conflict.

The US vice-president told reporters before Monday's meeting: "Israel has a right to defend itself.

"Far too many Palestinian civilians, innocent civilians have been killed. We need to get more aid in, we need to get hostages out. And that remains our position."

The meeting took place while Mr Biden was at Camp David, the presidential retreat just outside Washington.

It came a day after Ms Harris, at a memorial event to civil rights marchers in Alabama, forcefully demanded that "given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire" of at least six weeks.

The US has been working to broker such an agreement between Hamas and Israel with the help of Qatar and Egypt.

Mr Gantz also spoke with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Monday. He was expected to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken, too, during his visit.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing on Monday that Mr Gantz had requested the Washington meeting.

Mr Kirby declined to address Mr Netanyahu's concerns over the visit.

Owing to the difficulties of getting humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the US airdropped aid over the weekend.

Last week, at least 112 Palestinians were reportedly killed when large crowds descended on lorries carrying aid while Israeli tanks were present.

Israel said the tanks fired warning shots, but did not strike the lorries and that many of the dead were trampled or run over.

This has been disputed by Hamas, which said there was "undeniable" evidence of "direct firing at citizens".

The Israeli military launched a large-scale air and ground campaign to destroy Hamas after the group's gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on 7 October and took 253 back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 30,500 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, US and others.