Gaza ceasefire 'only benefits Hamas,' says White House

A full ceasefire in Gaza would only help Hamas as Israel wages a relentless and unprecedented air assault on the strip, but humanitarian "pauses" should be considered to let vital aid in, the White House said Tuesday.

The comments came as President Joe Biden said aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave, under Israeli bombardment since October 7, were "not fast enough."

"A ceasefire right now really only benefits Hamas," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.

Almost 5800 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its attack on Gaza following Hamas' surprise attack on October 7.

UN chief Antonio Guterres earlier Tuesday urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as European Union leaders were considering a call for a pause in the fighting.

Kirby said that while Washington opposed a full ceasefire, stoppages in the fighting to facilitate the delivery of aid was "something that ought to be considered."

"We want to see all measure of protection for civilians and pauses in an operation is a tool and a tactic that can do that for temporary periods of time," he said.

"It's not the same as saying a ceasefire."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier asked the UN Security Council to support a new US-led resolution on the conflict that would back "humanitarian pauses" to let in aid but not a full ceasefire.

Biden said Monday that "talk" about any ceasefire could only start once all of the more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas in the attack were released.

Kirby meanwhile warned that while the United States had urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties, some were inevitable.

"This is war. It is combat. It is bloody, ugly and it's going to be messy and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward," Kirby said.

"I wish I could tell you something different and wish that there wasn't going to happen, but it is going to happen. And that doesn't make it right, doesn't make it dismissible."