President Joe Biden has said for the first time he supports a humanitarian “pause” to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in order to try and secure the release of more prisoners.
Appearing at a fundraiser in Minneapolis, the president was heckled by a woman who revealed she was a rabbi.
“As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now,” she said.
Mr Biden said: “I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.”
He added: “I’m the guy that convinced Bibi to call for a ceasefire to let the prisoners out. I’m the guy that talked to Sisi to convince him to open the door.”
In the days and weeks after the Oct 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 Israelis and saw up to 250 people taken hostage, Mr Biden was steadfast in his support for Israel.
He said Israel had the right to defend itself and said the US would provide additional military aid to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.