Biden says he supports 'pause' not 'ceasefire' on Israel's Gaza attacks

President Joe Biden, when responding to a heckler at a Minnesota campaign event, said he thinks there should be a humanitarian "pause" in Gaza crisis to get "prisoners" out of Gaza.

The 80-year-old Democrat was delivering remarks to some 200 supporters in the northern US state when a member of the audience shouted out to him.

"As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now," she said, referring to the Israeli war on Gaza.

The president responded: "I think we need a pause. A pause means giving time to get the prisoners out."

Asked about his remarks, the White House later clarified that by "prisoners" the president was referring to hostages held by Hamas.

Biden engaged further with the woman, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the nickname Bibi.

"I'm the guy that convinced Bibi to call for a ceasefire to let the prisoners out. I'm the guy that talked to (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El) Sisi to convince him to open the door" along Gaza's border with Egypt to allow freed hostages to leave.

Gaza crisis

Biden indicated that he was discussing the recent release of two US hostages formerly held by the Palestinian group.

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 ceasefire, believing it would exclusively play into the hands of Hamas.

The Israeli army relentlessly bombed Gaza and launched an increasingly extensive ground offensive into the territory following the Hamas-initiated Operation Al Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air on October 7.

Hamas stated that the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque and the growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.