Pro-Palestinian protesters convened near the Capitol on Thursday, before President Biden was set to depart the White House for his State of the Union address.

Why it matters: The address, set to begin at 9 p.m. ET, began almost 30 minutes late, and Biden's motorcade took an alternative route to avoid the protesters, according to White House pool reporters.

• "The route did not take us by any large protest groups," the pool said.

The big picture: Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war has become a flashpoint and progressive Democrats have repeatedly pressed the president to do more to stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and call for an enduring ceasefire.

Go deeper: Progressives want much more from Biden on Gaza