By Staff, Agencies Vice President Kamala Harris said the war in Gaza must end and the captives must be freed, in a presidential candidate debate held just 55 days before the US election.

"It must end immediately, and the way it will end is we need a cease-fire deal, and we need the captives out,” Harris said Tuesday night in her face-off against former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump.

"We will continue to work around the clock on that but we must chart a course for a ‘two-state’ solution," she said.

"I will always give ‘Israel’ the ability to secure itself, especially against Iran”.

Trump said Hamas would not have launched their operation on October 7 if he were president and then went on to accuse Harris.

Trump accused Harris of hating ‘Israel’ and ‘Israelis’ and said Harris would not even meet with “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he addressed Congress.

He also alleged that Iran was broken under his administration.

Harris quoted his former senior security advisors who warned that he should not be in power again while Trump said he was feared and respected.

The two candidates met for the first time on set during the debate hosted by ABC News and broadcast live, as polling showed they were in a close race ahead of the November elections.

Each hoped to convince those still undecided and create momentum.

The debate got under way with a surprise handshake between the two opponents, who had never met before.

The encounter was particularly important for Harris, with opinion polls showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not know enough about her.

Harris entered the race only seven weeks ago after President Joe Biden's exit.

In the debate, Harris and Trump sparred on the economy, border security and abortion rights.

Trump refused to admit he lost the 2020 elections even after saying he had in recent interviews, claiming his comments were made in jest.

He also refused to take any responsibility for the January 6 assault of the Capital.

Harris defended her changes in position on fracking and the border with Mexico, repeating her claim that her values have not changed.

After the debate, Trump claimed victory and Fox News called for more debates.

A CNN poll found Harris the winner in the debate.

Immediately following the debate, Harris received an endorsement from pop megastar Taylor Swift in a post on Instagram.

She said she will vote for the US vice president in the November 5 election which polls show to be very tight