NEW YORK, August 30. /TASS/. The US Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip "must end".

"We have to get a deal done. This war must end, and we must deal that is about getting the hostages out," she said in an interview to CNN.

In her first joint television interview with running mate Tim Walz since accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris also declared her commitment "to work toward a two state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The presidential candidate evaded a direct answer on whether she was ready to limit arms supplies to Israel, but reaffirmed her support to the Israeli government.

"I’m unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself," she said.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.