U.S. President Joe Biden is urging for "humanitarian pauses," which would include a "temporary, localized" cessation of hostilities, while the Pentagon reiterated its opposition to a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel massacred over 9,000 people so far and has been destroying hospitals, refugee camps and other civilian infrastructure.
At a campaign event on Wednesday Biden was urged by a member of the audience to call for a cease-fire in the war. Biden replied: "I think we need a pause."
Talking to reporters Thursday National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby clarified what such a pause would entail.
"A humanitarian pause... is temporary, localized and focused, focused on a particular objective or objectives, humanitarian aid in, people out," Kirby said.
He added: "The general idea is that in that geographic space, for that limited time, there would be a cessation of hostilities, enough to allow whatever it is you're trying to allow."
The White House has previously called for "humanitarian pauses" to allow aid to be delivered into Gaza or to carry out evacuations, but has so far refused to discuss a cease-fire, believing it would exclusively play into the hands of Hamas.
Kirby confirmed that position.
"We aren't advocating for a general cease-fire at this point," he said. "As I said earlier, we believe that a general cease-fire would benefit Hamas in providing them breathing space and time to continue to plot and execute attacks on, on the Israeli people."
The Israeli army has indiscriminately bombed the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 and has launched a ground invasion into the territory.
The statements from the White House come as Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads on yet another crisis trip to Israel to seek "concrete measures" from its ally to minimize Gaza civilian deaths and injuries.
"When I see a Palestinian child – a boy, a girl – pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building, that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in Israel or anywhere else," Blinken said.
"So this is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will."
"We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in Gaza," Blinken told reporters as he flew out of Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
"This is something that the United States is committed to," he said, a day before his latest meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden has promised full support and ramped-up military aid to Israel for its strikes in Gaza following the Palestinian group Hamas assault, but has also weakly voiced empathy for Palestinian deaths and injuries, which has outraged the world. The U.N. and human rights organizations warn that Palestinians are being massacred and subjected to genocide.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said Thursday that it does not endorse a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
"We do not support a cease-fire in that that gives time for Hamas to regroup, which is something that would put Israeli citizens and others in danger," spokesperson Pat Ryder said at a press briefing, as the Palestinian death toll rapidly moves toward 10,000.
"I've heard however, the president say that the U.S. government does support humanitarian pauses to enable humanitarian aid to get in, hostages to get out as well as other citizens," said the spokesperson.
He added that he also heard Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's discussions with his counterparts include ensuring that Palestinian civilians in Gaza get humanitarian assistance, whether that be water fuel, or medical aid. "That continues to be something that we continue to emphasize regularly," he added.
The Israeli military has expanded its air and ground attacks in Gaza, which has been under relentless disproportionate airstrikes when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multipronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
In response, Israel has killed at least 9,061 Palestinians, half of whom are children, and destroyed large parts of the Gaza Strip as it disproportionately bombed residential buildings, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques and churches – which experts, U.N. bodies and others are now warning constitutes war crimes. Nearly 10,600 people in total have been killed in the conflict so far.
Basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to Israel's "full siege," in addition to the large number of deaths, destruction and displacements.
