Harris talks tough on Israel, but pro-Palestine activists aren't swayed yet

Kamala Harris signalled on Thursday she could take a tougher line against Israel, telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that she would not be "silent" on the suffering of besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

In a meeting that is likely to be scrutinised in Israeli and US foreign policy circles, Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, took a more public approach to chastise Netanyahu over the devastating Palestinian death toll in Gaza than her boss, Joe Biden.

"What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time," Harris told reporters after the meeting.

"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 said, emphasising the need to reach a ceasefire.

Read more: Harris talks tough on Israel, but pro-Palestine activists aren't swayed yet