State Department urges ceasefire in Gaza talks, says conflict data remains secure after research grant ended

At the briefing, Tammy framed the United States’ immediate objective in the Israel‑Gaza conflict as achieving steps that reduce civilian suffering, saying the negotiations underway are intended to secure a ceasefire that would stop further harm to civilians.

A reporter cited recent journalist deaths and asked whether the department regarded deliberate targeting of journalists as a war crime. Tammy declined to label specific incidents a war crime from the podium but said the scale of civilian suffering was “problematic and heartbreaking” and reiterated that Hamas’s October 7 attacks precipitated the current conflict.

Reporters asked about a recently terminated grant to researchers at Yale who had worked on a project known in questions as the “conflict observatory.” Tammy confirmed that “the data exists” and said the department had been told the data is secure on a platform operated by MITRE; she declined to discuss technical custody or chain-of-custody details and referred further inquiries as appropriate.

On humanitarian needs in Gaza, Tammy said the administration is “very disturbed” by the situation, noted concerns about groundwater and other basic services, and said the administration remains committed to aid efforts even as it pursues reforms to foreign‑assistance delivery. She reiterated that the department is working daily to secure humanitarian outcomes alongside ceasefire efforts.

The briefing did not provide new operational detail on how the department will ensure humanitarian deliveries or how researchers’ data would be made available to courts; the spokesperson limited remarks to confirming the existence and security of the data and urging continued diplomacy to protect civilians.