US says it will hold humanitarian pause talks with Israel 'for as long as it takes'

WASHINGTON

The US is committed to holding talks with Israel "for as long as it takes" to broker "humanitarian pauses" in the besieged Gaza Strip, the White House said Monday.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration is in the midst of "active" discussions with Tel Aviv over the matter, which he said "can actually have a discrete difference on the battlefield."

"We consider ourselves at the beginning of this conversation, not at the end of it so you can expect that we're going to continue to advocate for temporary localized pauses in the fighting," he told reporters on a virtual briefing.

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu discussed "the potential for tactical process to help enable civilians to reach safer locations, to ensure assistance is reaching civilians in need, and to enable potential hostage releases," Kirby said.

Biden has consistently rejected calls from the UN, international organizations and the majority of the international community, for a broader ceasefire to halt all hostilities in Gaza, instead making the case for smaller-scale "humanitarian pauses."

Israel launched air and ground attacks on Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed over 1,400 Israelis. At least 10,022 Palestinians, including 4,104 children and 2,641 women, have been killed during Israel's relentless bombardment, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.