Doocy: so, talking about getting Americans out of Gaza, President Biden said, “I want to thank our partners in the region and particularly Qatar.” The leader of Hamas lives in Qatar, so why is President Biden thanking them for anything?
MR. KIRBY: Oh, geez, Peter. Let’s take a step back here and look at this. Qatar was —
Doocy: “Geez, Peter”? They —
MR. KIRBY: Peter, Qatar has been helpful in getting those Americans out. I’m sure you would agree with me and everybody at your network would agree that getting American hostages out is a good thing. And Qatar was a key player in that regard. Qatar has lines of communication with Hamas that almost nobody else has …
Doocy: You’re making my point here.
MR. KIRBY: No, I’m not.
Doocy: If Qatar is so helpful —
MR. KIRBY: No, I’m not.
Doocy: — why aren’t we asking them to hand over the leader of this terrorist group?
MR. KIRBY: We are working with Qatar to get our people out and to help get aid in. That’s a priority right now. And obviously, we’re also helping Israel go after Hamas.
Doocy: And — and as you push the Israelis for humanitarian pauses, are they just supposed to sit back and let Hamas attack them and attack them and attack them and not fight back?
MR. KIRBY: We have been crystal clear that Israel has the right to defend themselves. I mean, my goodness —
Doocy: So, a pause means they can still shoot back?
MR. KIRBY: My goodness, Peter. We’re giving them security assistance almost every day. But do we advocate pauses by both sides here — temporary, localized — to be able to get Americans out, to be able to get aid in? You betcha we do.
That doesn’t mean that we’re calling for a general ceasefire. There’s a — hang — hang on a second. There’s a difference. There’s a big difference here …
Doocy: So, a pause does not help Hamas?
MR. KIRBY: A temporary pause that’s localized, that would allow us to get aid in and to get our people out, is a good thing for the people of Gaza. It’s a good thing for the Americans that are being held hostage. And it’s not going to stop Israel from defending itself, because the security assistance we’re providing continues to flow. And a temporary pause doesn’t mean a general ceasefire or the war is over. It means pause, only temporary, for a specific purpose.
Reporter: You’ve spent most of your professional life in the military. I don’t know the answer to this question: Was there a time in the U.S. fight against al Qaeda in which the U.S. implemented humanitarian pauses?
MR. KIRBY: I’m not aware of any. But I wou- — I would remind you that al Qaeda, you know, wasn’t in possession of 200 hostages in Iraq or Afghanistan. And — and it’s a different — it’s a different situation. But that’s what we’re talking about here.
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Q: does “pause” mean not fight back? why thanking Qatar? Ever any pauses fight against al Qaeda?