CHICAGO, Aug 23, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Kamala Harris pledged Thursday to get a Gaza ceasefire and said as US president she would stand with Ukraine and not "cozy up" to dictators like her Republican opponent Donald Trump.

"Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done," the vice president told supporters at the Democratic National Convention as she accepted the party's presidential nomination.

Harris said that she and President Joe Biden "are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination."

US support for its ally Israel in the conflict against Hamas in Gaza has become one of the most divisive issues in the Democratic Party, and at times has threatened to overshadow the party's attempt to unite against Trump.

Harris said Hamas had caused "unspeakable" violence in its surprise attack on Israel on October 7, triggering the Israeli offensive. At the same time, she said the devastation in Gaza was "heartbreaking."

"I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself, and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself," she said.

Attacking Trump for his frequent denigration of NATO and Ukraine, she said that "as president I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies."

And she called out Trump's public praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, saying "I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators."

Tyrants are "rooting for Trump, because you know, they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself."