The Biden administration said Tuesday it does not favor a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists, despite calls from several Democrat lawmakers for one.

In a media briefing, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, "a cease-fire right now only benefits Hamas."

Kirby's remarks came a day after President Joe Biden said talks of a cease-fire could only occur once the terrorist group releases all the hostages it took after it killed more than 1,400 Israelis during an Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel.

But lawmakers from the Squad of far-left Democrats, including Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, are insisting on a cease-fire as Israel prepares for a ground assault on the Gaza Strip.

"We cannot continue to stand idly by numb as we watch this death toll rise. Nor can we be complicit in this bloodshed. Vengeance is not a foreign policy doctrine," Pressley said Friday at a news conference.

Kirby said the attention right now is on giving Israel everything it needs to go after Hamas. He was then asked about a scenario of the hostages being released, Hamas is disarmed, and an international conference is put in place to resolve the war.

"I couldn't begin to speculate on that," he said. "Those are potential steps that haven't happened yet, and it may not happen. All I can tell you is, we're going to continue to make sure Israel has the tools and the capabilities that they need to defend themselves. We're going to continue to try to get that humanitarian assistance in.

"We're going to continue to try to get hostages and people out of Gaza appropriately. As I think you've heard us say, a cease-fire right now really only benefits Hamas. That's where we are right now."

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