The White House is urging "Israel" to pursue a temporary halt in Gaza to secure the release of additional Israeli captives and to expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.

According to John Kirby, the White House National Security Spokesperson, there has been some progress in discussions regarding a humanitarian pause, but further efforts are needed.

"We continue to support an extended humanitarian pause," Kirby said.

Kirby's remarks came one day after US President Joe Biden conveyed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "a military operation in Rafah should not proceed" without a plan to protect civilians. 

In the same context, the US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, stated that Washington doesn't perceive the Israeli airstrikes in Rafah as the initiation of a comprehensive offensive in the region.

"Israeli strikes on Rafah should not have an impact on the hostage negotiations," he said.

He further emphasized that the US would not endorse a "full-scale military operation" in Rafah unless "Israel" presented a credible and executable plan. Miller added that he doesn't believe that cutting US aid to "Israel" would be a more impactful measure than the actions already taken by Washington.

Commenting on the Israeli claim of a Hamas command center under the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza, Miller said, "We are seeking more information from UNRWA and Israel."

On January 26, "Israel" accused 12 UNRWA staffers of directly and indirectly aiding the Resistance during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. 

As a result, several Western countries led a movement, kickstarted by the United States, to defund the organization until an investigation reveals the accuracy or falsity of the claims, with more countries following.

The claims themselves had no solid foundation, creating conspiracy over whether this was just a ploy to collectively punish Palestinians in Gaza by obstructing the operations of the only organization that provided substantial and great relief amid the brutal Israeli onslaught. 

Israeli massacre in Rafah kills at least 100 Palestinians

Earlier today, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli occupation forces committed a major massacre in Rafah early this morning, with most of the victims being children and women.

Our correspondent said that Israeli occupation warplanes launched more than 50 airstrikes on Rafah, noting that the occupation forces used internationally prohibited incendiary missiles in its airstrikes.

Palestinian medical sources said that at least 100 people were martyred and more than 230 were wounded in heavy Israeli strikes on the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Israeli warplanes carried out a series of heavy airstrikes on various parts of southern Gaza, focusing on the center of Rafah.

The PRCS emphasized that the Israeli airstrikes targeted populated homes, warning that what happened signals a major catastrophe.

About 1.4 million Palestinians have crowded into Rafah, with many living in tents while food, water, and medicine are becoming increasingly scarce.

In a related context, Hamas representative in Lebanon Ahmad Abdul Hadi told Al Mayadeen that the invasion of Rafah would prompt major reactions in the region and would escalate the war beyond what the United States desires.

He indicated that Netanyahu's threats regarding Rafah are, in part, aimed at "forcing the resistance compromise on its conditions."

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that Israeli occupation forces committed 19 massacres during the past 24 hours, killing 164 Palestinians and injuring 200, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza to 28,340, in addition to 67,984 injuries.