Israel-Gaza updates: Blinken, Abbas meet on restoring 'calm' in West Bank, State Department says

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder reiterated the administration's calls for a humanitarian pause over a ceasefire.

We do not support a ceasefire, in that gives time for Hamas to regroup which is something that again, would put Israeli citizens and others in danger," he said. "You have heard however, the president say that the U.S. government does support humanitarian pauses to enable humanitarian aid to get in, for hostages to get out as well as other citizens."

"So in the [Defense] Secretary's discussion with his counterparts, ensuring that innocent civilians in Gaza are able to get humanitarian assistance, whether that be water fuel, medical aid ... that continues to be something that we continue to emphasize regularly," Ryder added.

Ryder added that the U.S. continues to speak to Israel about the importance of safeguarding civilian lives in its operations in Gaza, which includes the principle of proportionality, while acknowledging that Israel has a right to self-defense and is dealing with an existential threat.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

The House of Representatives passed a GOP-led bill to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, setting up a fight with the Biden administration and Democratic-controlled Senate.

The final vote was 226-196.

The bill provides $4 billion in funding for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems. It also leaves out humanitarian aid for Gaza.

The Biden administration requested Congress to pass an aid package for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the border together, but House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to split up the requests as funding for Ukraine is unpopular among the Republican conference.

The bill would pay for the Israel funding with cuts to the IRS.

The White House has threatened to veto it.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller and Alexandra Hutzler

The Israeli military's "encirclement of the city of Gaza has been completed," according to Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Israeli soldiers are now "attacking positions, command centers, firing posts, firing infrastructure and eliminating terrorists in face-to-face combat," he said Thursday.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on Thursday suggested that Israel agreed to a temporary pause in order for the two American hostages to be safely freed last month and said the U.S. would be working toward securing more pauses.

"The president already worked on one such pause when we were able to get those two Americans out. And that's, that's what we're kind of looking at," Kirby added. "When we're talking about humanitarian pause, what we're talking about are temporary, localized pauses in the fighting to meet a certain goal or goals -- as I said, get aid in, get people out."

He said the administration is exploring "as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out, and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages."

Israeli officials said there are 242 hostages in Gaza.

Kirby stressed that the administration isn't "advocating for a general cease-fire at this point."

"We believe that a general cease-fire would benefit Hamas in providing them breathing space and time to continue to plot and execute attacks on the Israeli people," he said.

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow