(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden told reporters Israel is close to reaching a deal with Hamas that would pause fighting and release hostages.

“A humanitarian pause that lasted five days, I think, would be helpful. But the release of those Israeli hostages is just critical. And I think this also shows that it made sense to insist that before there’d be this long a pause or a cease-fire, that it’d be accompanied by a release of hostages,” said California Rep. Brad Sherman.

Sherman, a Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, joined NewsNation’s “The Hill” to discuss what a possible pause would mean for the Israel-Hamas war and how Democrats feel about it.

“Democrats are always the party of compassion. We all believe in humanitarian aid. We all believe that Israel should take every effort to safeguard civilians,” Sherman said.

“The vast majority of both Republican and Democratic parties want to see Hamas snuffed out, but we want it done carefully. We want it done with us providing food aid and other aid to Palestinians.”