US Vice President Kamala Harris voiced strong support for Israel's right to defend itself from terrorism on Thursday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but said "too many innocent civilians" have died in Gaza and "I will not be silent about their suffering."

In what is her first appearance on the world stage since her meteoric rise as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Harris sought to strike a balance and grasp what she called the “complexities” of the Middle East conflict. While she did not distance herself from President Biden on policy, she struck a stronger tone on the plight of the Palestinians.

“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” she told reporters after meeting with Netanyahu at the White House compound. “The images of dead children, of desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes being displaced for a second, third, fourth time — we cannot turn a blind eye to these tragedies, we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”

She noted that she also met with the families of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attack and expressed her sorrow for their suffering, making sure to read out the names of each of the hostages who hold American citizenship. “I told them every time that they are not alone, and I stand with them, and President Biden and I work every day to bring them home,” she said.

In a sign of the changing political landscape in Washington since President Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday, Harris offered the only substantive comments after Netanyahu met with each of them separately. She pressed for a “long-awaited ceasefire agreement to end the war and return the hostages home.”

Harris has been closely watched, given her new role. Over the nine months since the war on Gaza began, she has largely stuck to the president’s line, though she has at times appeared more sympathetic to the suffering in Gaza, leading some to conclude that she may not be as supportive of Netanyahu’s war as Biden was. Republicans criticized Harris for skipping the prime minister’s address to Congress on Wednesday because of a prior commitment out of town, though they did not criticize Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, their Republican vice presidential nominee, for also skipping the speech, citing a scheduling conflict.

Clearly determined not to let herself be backed into a corner, Harris made a point of condemning the “despicable actions of protesters” who burned the flag and defaced statues with anti-Israel slogans outside the Capitol on Wednesday.

“I condemn any individual associated with the brutal Hamas terrorist organization, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and murder Jews,” she said in a written statement hours before her meeting with Netanyahu. “Pro-Hamas writings and speeches are abhorrent and should not be tolerated in our nation.”

The administration’s support for Israel’s war effort, even with Biden’s reservations about civilian casualties and his suspension of the munitions shipment, has been a thorny issue for his reelection campaign, and he has faced criticism from some Democrats for not putting more pressure on Netanyahu to curb the carnage and end the fighting.

The contrast between the Israeli prime minister’s meetings with Harris and Biden on Thursday was striking, with the president welcoming Netanyahu warmly into the Oval Office. “Welcome back, Mr. Prime Minister,” Biden said as the two sat down for a 90-minute meeting. “We have a lot to talk about. I think we should get to it.”

While the two have been at odds over the conduct of the war for months, Biden offered no insight into the situation on the ground while reporters were in the room and instead handed the floor to Netanyahu, who took the opportunity to express gratitude now that the president has ended his long political career.

“Mr. President,” Netanyahu told him, “we have known each other for 40 years, and you have known every Israeli prime minister for 50 years, from Golda Meir. So from a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel. I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the coming months on the major issues before us.”

Biden smiled when referred to as an “Irish-American Zionist” and then said he looked forward to their discussions as well. “By the way, that first meeting was with Prime Minister Golda Meir, and she had an aide named Rabin next to her.”

By contrast, Harris was polite but businesslike as she greeted Netanyahu in her ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Building next to the White House, and the two made no remarks to the cameras as their 40-minute meeting began. When she emerged afterward to make her comments, she did so herself, “surprising Israelis with her tone,” according to the New York Times.

She expressed solidarity with Israel, affirmed her “unwavering commitment” to its existence and security, and condemned Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organization” that started the war when it “slaughtered 1,200 innocent people, including 44 Americans” and “committed horrific acts of sexual violence.”

“Israel has the right to defend itself,” she said, then added pointedly, “and how it does so matters.”

White House spokesman John Kirby played down any differences between the president and vice president over Gaza. “She has been a full partner in our Middle East policy,” he told reporters before either meeting.

Kirby said negotiators were “closer now, we believe, than we have ever been before” but that gaps remained. He did not blame Israel in particular for the resistance. “The Israelis have already made a lot of concessions to get us to this point. Hamas, through its interlocutors, has made concessions to get us to this point. But we’re not there yet. So concessions are still needed,” he said.

Biden and Netanyahu met with families of those held by Hamas amid renewed confidence about the prospects for a ceasefire that would free their loved ones. Some of the hostages’ relatives said as they left the White House that they were convinced that the American and Israeli leaders felt an urgent need to end the war so that those captured during the Oct. 7 attack could return home.