U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "humanitarian truces" in the Gaza war must be considered in order to protect Palestinian civilians.

These remarks, made during his speech at a ministerial meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the war, are the first time a U.S. official has publicly called for any type of cessation of hostilities.

This idea does not rise to the level of a ceasefire, which U.S. officials have rejected in recent days as a step that would amount to aiding Hamas, on the grounds that Israel still has the right to respond strongly to the October 7 attack to ensure it does not happen again.

Blinken added, "We must protect Palestinian civilians, and that means Hamas must stop using them as human shields, noting that it's hard to think of an act that involves greater irony."

He continued, "This means that Israel must take all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians. This means that food, water, medicine, and other essential humanitarian aid must flow into Gaza and to the people who need it, and it means that civilians must be able to move away from harm's way."

The Secretary of State added, "This means that a temporary halt to the war should be considered for humanitarian reasons and for all these purposes."