The White House on Thursday said it was exploring a series of pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict to help people safely exit Gaza and allow humanitarian aid to get in, but reiterated its opposition to a full ceasefire.
National security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that such pauses should be temporary and localized, and insisted they would not stop Israel from defending itself.
“What we’re trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages,” he told reporters at a regular White House briefing.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said it was exploring a series of pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict to help people safely exit Gaza and allow humanitarian aid to get in, but reiterated its opposition to a full ceasefire.
National security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that such pauses should be temporary and localized, and insisted they would not stop Israel from defending itself.
President Joe Biden spoke on Wednesday about the need for a pause to provide time for the release of hostages held by Hamas, but has ruled out calling for a full ceasefire.
United Nations experts are also urging a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying time is running out for Palestinian people there who find themselves at “grave risk of genocide.”
Nearly four weeks of Israeli bombardment against the Gaza Strip in retaliation for deadly attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on Oct. 7 have killed at least 9,061 people, made up of a majority of women and children, health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave say.
Asked if the United States bore responsibility for civilian deaths if it was providing such weapons, Kirby insisted that Washington was not “making the targeting decisions.”
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