Quote:The United States has proposed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas conflict and opposing an Israeli ground offensive in southern Gaza.

The resolution comes just days after President Joe Biden, typically a strong supporter of Israel, called for a temporary ceasefire to get prisoners and hostages out of Gaza.

Washington leaders have mostly avoided the term “ceasefire” in actions related to the conflict, but the draft language reflects what Biden said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week. Reuters reported the news.

Biden has been trailed by protesters since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks sparked the conflict and as the death toll has risen in Gaza. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has also fielded lots of questions about the aggression of Israel’s military actions.

The president’s tone has changed somewhat in recent weeks. On Feb. 8, he said that Israel’s response in the Gaza strip has been “over the top,” and he took things a step further on Friday.

“I’ve had extensive conversations with [Netanyahu] over the last several days,” Biden said. “And I’ve made the case — I feel very strongly about it — that there has to be a temporary ceasefire to get the prisoners out, to get the hostages out. And that is underway.”

Biden stressed that some of the hostages are Americans, underscoring the urgency of getting them to safety. He also said he hopes the Israelis will not make “any massive land invasion” in the meantime and that he expected one will not happen.

Israel’s response to the terrorist attacks has mostly focused on northern Gaza, which has driven civilians into the south. The U.S. draft text thus stresses that operations in the south of the strip would further harm civilians and result in their further displacement, according to Reuters.

Roughly 1 million Palestinians are believed to have sought shelter in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, raising humanitarian concerns about the effects of more military efforts.

The time frame for a vote on the resolution is not yet known. Passage would require nine votes in favor, and the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, and China wield veto power.