Vice President Kamala Harris ignored questions from reporters about Hamas suddenly begging Israel for a ceasefire.
When a reporter asked Harris for her “reaction” to Hamas claiming it had accepted a ceasefire deal with Israel, Harris interrupted by saying “shrimp and grits.”
“Madam Vice President, Hamas says it accepted a ceasefire deal…” the reporter began.
“Shrimp and grits. Is that what you wanted to know?” Harris said.
The reporter once again asked, “Hamas says it accepted a ceasefire deal. Your reaction?” as Harris got into a vehicle.
“What are your thoughts on Hamas accepting a ceasefire deal?” another reporter asked.
Hamas, a U.S.-designated Islamic terror organization, announced on Monday that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal.
Israeli officials responded to Hamas begging for a ceasefire, claiming that the deal Hamas was agreeing to was “not the same proposal” that Israel and Egypt had previously agreed upon, adding that “all kinds of clauses” were added.
The news came hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets warning residents in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, to evacuate and go to “safe” zones.
Text messages, phone calls, and other forms of communication were reportedly used to inform residents to leave and go to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone and other safe zones.
Hundreds of Palestinians evacuate following Israel’s announcement of its plan to attack Rafah, in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on May 6, 2024. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Sunday, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Rafah toward Kerem Shalom, the border crossing that serves as the primary point for humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Three IDF soldiers were left dead, and at least ten people were injured as a result of Hamas launching rockets at the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
The White House has urged Hamas to accept a deal put forward by Israel, which would last six weeks and allow some of the remaining hostages that Hamas still holds to be released.
After Hamas’s announcement that it had agreed to a ceasefire under terms that were not on the table from Israel, the Israeli war cabinet voted unanimously to continue an attack on Rafah, adding that a delegation of diplomats would be sent to Cairo, Egypt, to confirm if Hamas was serious about a ceasefire.
“The War Cabinet unanimously decided that Israel continues the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to promote the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war,” the office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X. “At the same time, although the Hamas proposal is far from Israel’s necessary requirements, Israel will send a delegation of working-class mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel.”