The Wall Street Journal reported that American and Arab negotiators presented a proposal for a short pause in the war in Gaza to buy time for a longer ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as the talks appeared stuck as time was running out to reach an agreement before the start of the month of Ramadan.

Negotiators said pushing this temporary alternative, made Tuesday for a shorter ceasefire — one that lasts a few days — could prove to both sides that the other is serious about a longer-term agreement. Israel and some negotiators believe that “Hamas only wants to escalate the fighting to inflame regional tensions during the holy month of Ramadan in March, while Hamas points to Israel threatening to launch a final attack on Gaza’s southern border if an agreement is not reached.”

As the war in Gaza continued on Tuesday, a bright side to the talks emerged when all parties agreed to continue talks for another day in the Egyptian capital, with mediators expecting negotiations in the coming days to either lead to an agreement or collapse into more bloodshed. 

American and Arab negotiators sought to continue talks on Tuesday as political pressure mounted on the Biden administration to reach a temporary halt to the fighting in Gaza that has left more than 30,000 Palestinians dead, according to health authorities in Gaza.

“The United States is frustrated with Israel, as one of its closest allies is overseeing a humanitarian crisis that includes reports of children dying from malnutrition,” according to the newspaper.

In a meeting on Monday with Israeli Cabinet member Benny Gantz, Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Israel's handling of humanitarian needs in Gaza, several media outlets in Washington reported, who also noted that "there is a lot of criticism and mistrust" toward the prime minister Netanyahu, after not adhering to the previous guarantees he provided to the administration.

“There were harsh messages about aid and strategic clarity going forward,” the newspaper says.

American media reported on Tuesday that the administration of US President Joe Biden had amended the wording of a draft UN Security Council resolution to support “an immediate ceasefire for approximately six weeks in Gaza and the release of all hostages.”

This amendment to the text, which the United States had first proposed two weeks ago, reflects the sharp comments made by US Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

The United States wants any Security Council support for a ceasefire to be linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Washington had previously opposed the use of the word ceasefire.

The United States used its veto power against three draft Security Council resolutions - two of which demanded an immediate ceasefire since Israel launched its war on the besieged Gaza Strip five months ago, a war that claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Palestinian citizens, the overwhelming majority of whom were women and children. It also injured more than 65,000, destroyed more than two-thirds of the Gaza Strip, and displaced most of the Gaza Strip’s residents.