As anger rises over the war in Gaza, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to defuse one of the most divisive issues within the Democratic Party on the biggest political stage of her life.

Her statements Thursday night in her acceptance speech for the party's presidential nomination were closely tied to previous remarks about the conflict, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Harris said she "will always defend Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself." She opposed restrictions on arms sales to Israel.

Harris then moved on to discuss the destruction wrought by Israel in Gaza, where 40,000 Palestinians have been killed.

She said, "We have lost so many innocent lives. Desperate, hungry people have fled seeking safety, time and again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking."

Harris added that she is working with President Joe Biden to reach a ceasefire agreement that would also secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a step toward helping Palestinians "achieve their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination."

But this deal has remained elusive despite pressure from the White House. Biden and Harris spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday while the Democratic National Convention was underway.

Harris addressed the conflict in a similar manner last month after meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, offering no concrete changes to Biden's strong support for Israel but increasing the rhetorical focus on the needs of Palestinians.

Harris hopes to ease divisions over the war within the Democratic Party. However, she also risks disappointing activists who want her to explicitly change course and stop sending weapons to Israel that have been used to kill Palestinian civilians.

The protests over the war did not disrupt the convention as some Democrats had feared. Organizers did not gather tens of thousands as they had hoped, and the explosions at the United Center were rare, overshadowed by the party's enthusiasm over Harris's nomination.

Nonetheless, there was no shortage of reminders of discontent over the war. Uncommitted delegates representing Democratic voters in the primaries who did not support a candidate protested the war outside the United Center when convention organizers rejected requests for a Palestinian American to speak on stage.

They pointed out that the parents of one of the American hostages were given an opportunity to speak.

Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, who is nearing the end of her term in Congress after losing her primary race earlier this month, said, "We are Democrats. We are part of this party. And we are just saying: 'Listen to us because it matters.'