Trump accuses Harris of hating Israel as she says Gaza war must end

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump accused his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris of hating Israel during a lively televised debate on Tuesday.

"She hates Israel," Trump said during the debate, the only scheduled head-to-head between the two ahead of the US presidential election on November 5.

"At the same time, in her own way, she hates the Arab population because the whole place is going to get blown up – Arabs, Jewish people, Israel. Israel will be gone," he said.

During the debate, Harris spoke out against the attacks by Hamas militants and other Palestinian extremist groups on October 7.

"I will always give Israel the chance to defend itself," Harris said, adding that how that happened also mattered.

"Because it is also true, far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, children, mothers, what we know is that this war must end," she said.

"We need a ceasefire deal and we need the hostages out," she added.

Trump said that the war in Gaza would not have happened if he were president.

"I will get that settled and fast. I will get that done before even becoming president," he said.

The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history. More than 1,200 were killed in the October 7 attacks.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel's retaliatory military campaign, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.

Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating for months to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchange hostages kept by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.