Kamala Harris u-turns following Israeli backlash, after describing Gaza genocide as 'real'

US presidential candidate Kamala Harris has denied she considers Israel's assault on Gaza as a genocide, after she appeared to back this view during a speech over the weekend, leading to a massive Israeli backlash.

Harris's campaign responded to Israeli criticism over her perceived backing for a comment made by a pro-Palestine activist over the weekend about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

"That is not the view of the Biden administration of the Vice President," a Harris aide told The Jerusalem Post.

Harris was involved in an exchange with a pro-Palestine member of the audience during a speech in  Milwaukee, Wisconsin this weekend, ahead of the 5 November presidential election.

"I am so invested in y'all in every way, to make sure," she told the rally, before a member of the crowd injected mid-sentence, adding, "and in genocide, right, billions of dollars in genocide?".

She responded by saying she backed a "hostage deal" to end the war on Gaza but wanted to continue her speech.

"You aren't speaking about genocide, What about the genocide?" the protester pressed her, as he was taken out of the room.

"What he is talking about, it’s real. That is not the subject I came to discuss today, but it's real. And I respect his voice," she responded.

This was widely interpreted as backing for the view that the war on Gaza - which has killed at least 42,604 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians - is a genocide, an opinion shared by many experts on international law.

Her rebuttal of claims she views Gaza as a genocide led to disappointment among pro-Palestine supporters, who hoped her comments at the rally signalled a change in policy under a Harris administration.

"[F***] Kamala Harris. I hope she loses. If genocide isn’t your red line, then fuck you, your principles, and your democracy," one person wrote on X about her apparent u-turn.

"Kamala Harris chose genocide. Her racist supporters chose genocide. I'm not," another pro-Palestine account on X added, showing a photo of them ticking a ballot paper for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.

There are said to be fears in the Harris camp that she could lose valuable votes from young and Arab voters in key swing states such as Michigan over the Biden administration's unwavering support for Israel during its devastating assault on Gaza.

Harris is still believed to be slightly more critical of Israeli actions in Lebanon and Gaza than Biden, although few expect a major policy shift if she enters the White House in January.

Her challenger Donald Trump is considered to be the more pro-Israel out of the two main presidential candidates having moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognising Israel's annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights when he served as president.

Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend and appeared to back Israel's devastating military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.

"He was asking what I thought. And I just said, you do what you have to do," Trump said.