U.S. Vice President to Meet Gantz on Monday

A White House official told Reuters that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet on Monday with Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet. The official noted that the discussions, first reported by Reuters, are expected to cover topics including minimizing civilian casualties among Palestinians, securing a temporary ceasefire, releasing hostages held in Gaza, and increasing aid to the region. Harris is said to "express her concerns about the safety of up to 1.5 million people in Rafah," adding that Israel also has "the right to defend itself against ongoing terrorist threats from Hamas." A statement from Gantz confirmed that he will meet with Harris, as well as U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and members of both the Republican and Democratic parties in Congress. The statement noted that "Minister Gantz personally informed the Prime Minister on Friday of his initiative to travel in order to coordinate the messages to be conveyed in the meetings." The meeting comes as Washington seeks to achieve a temporary ceasefire in the fighting and increase the flow of aid to Gaza.