White House: We Want Pauses ‘Irrespective of a Hostage Deal’ But Israel Wouldn’t Do That

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk said that the White House supports “humanitarian pauses irrespective of a hostage deal” but President Joe Biden realized the only way to get a humanitarian pause was to have an agreement to bring hostages home.

McGurk said, “We’re engaged in very intensive discussion with the Israelis every single day. And I think when the President went to Israel…he spoke publicly about war-time decisions being the most difficult decisions. They require deliberation. They require constant, rigorous inquiry into the objectives and whether the policies you’re pursuing are achieving them. But one thing we’ve been very focused on since that time, and before then, is this hostage deal. The President recognized very early, the only way, the only realistic way to get a humanitarian pause in place — and we support humanitarian pauses irrespective of a hostage deal — is through an agreement to bring the hostages home. And there [were] a number of very, very difficult, intensive conversations between the President and these other leaders that helped get this done. And we’re going to have to see where — what happens over the coming days. But the Israelis have fully committed to this deal. Hamas has committed to this deal through the Qataris and the Egyptians.”

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