Biden, Harris push diplomacy on 1-year anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks as conflicts spiral

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris doubled down on long elusive diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza and broker a wider regional de-escalation Monday as they marked the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Biden said he believes that history will "remember October 7th as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day."

"Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict — and tens of thousands have been killed, a human toll made far worse by terrorists hiding and operating among innocent people," the president said in a statement.

"We will not stop working to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, allows for a surge in humanitarian aid to ease the suffering on the ground, assures Israel’s security, and ends this war. Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity, and peace," he added.

Israel has continued its relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 42,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, with over 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities. Nearly the entire pre-war population of over 2 million people has been displaced.

The cross-border attack on Israel killed some 1,200 people in Israel, and injured 5,132. About 250 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages. Over 100 remain there in captivity.

A total of 347 Israeli troops have been killed in Gaza.

Israel has recently announced a new offensive on the north of the coastal territory where dozens of Palestinians were killed over the weekend in a series of Israeli air raids.

- 'Fight for the Palestinian people'

Harris, who is running to replace Biden in November's presidential election, said she is "heartbroken over the scale of death and destruction in Gaza over the past year—tens of thousands of lives lost, children fleeing for safety over and over again, mothers and fathers struggling to obtain food, water, and medicine."

"It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people. And I will always fight for the Palestinian people to be able to realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination," she said in a separate statement.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added that "the atrocities Hamas committed on October 7th are a stark reminder of the threat posed by Hamas and other terrorist organizations backed by Iran."

"At the direction of President Biden, the Department has surged security assistance to Israel since October 7th and has deployed additional military forces to the Middle East to support the defense of Israel; to deter further aggression from Iran and its partners and proxies; and to protect U.S. personnel across the region," he said.

As Israel continues to press its ground invasion of Lebanon where over 1,200 people have been killed, and over 3,400 others have been injured, Biden and Harris said a "diplomatic solution" remains the sole option to end hostilities and allow residents on both sides of the border to return to their homes.

Over 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon as people flee the Israeli bombardment, and as more and more people find themselves under Israeli evacuation orders, forcing them into displacement.

Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah, but about one-quarter of the dead have been women and children.

Israel issued new evacuation orders for 25 more towns in southern Lebanon on Monday, ordering residents were to evacuate immediately and head north of Awali River, effectively relocating southern Lebanon's population toward the north.

The new orders take the number of areas ordered evacuated by Israel in southern Lebanon to over 100 in recent days.​​​​​​​