Biden tells pro-Gaza student protesters their ‘voices should be heard’ during Morehouse commencement speech

President Joe Biden called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and voiced his support for student protesters as he delivered the commencement address at one of the nation’s oldest historically Black colleges, Morehouse.

The president appeared on stage at Morehouse College on Sunday morning, to deliver a speech that placed him in the most direct fire to date from college students protesting against Israel’s actions in Gaza in campuses across the country.

Mr Biden spent much of the address speaking about the conflict in the Middle East – while also trying to connect with Black voters ahead of the 2024 election – decrying the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and saying that the voices of protesters“should be heard”.

“I support peaceful, non-violent protest,” Mr Biden told the graduating class of seniors. “Your voices should be heard. And I promise you, I hear them.”

“What's happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking,” said the president. “Innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of this, men, women and children killed or displaced, in desperate need of food and water.”

“It's a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That's why I've called for an immediate ceasefire, to stop the fighting,” he added. “Bring the hostages home.”

Mr Biden’s speech was punctuated by cheers at a few points, including after he called for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

The Biden administration had reportedly feared that the president’s speech would be derailed by protesters – after walkouts and demonstrations during several graduations and commencements in recent weeks – and Morehouse’s administration had warned against disrupting the event.

When he began speaking, one student held up a Palestinian flag and a handful turned their