Israel agreed to pause military operations against Hamas in northern Gaza for four hours each day to allow for humanitarian activities, the White House said Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
President Joe Biden has pressured Israel to implement multi-day ceasefires in a bid to secure negotiations over hostage releases and facilitate the flow of needed supplies to Gaza civilians, the AP reported. Israel’s military shot down any possibility of a ceasefire on Thursday in a statement, and Biden himself acknowledged “no possibility” for any longer cessation in hostilities despite personal efforts to sway Israel’s leader.
Biden said it had “taken a little longer” than he hoped to convince the Israelis to agree to short humanitarian pauses, the AP reported. He confirmed asking Israel for a three-day pause, adding, “I’ve asked for even a longer pause for some of them.” (RELATED: Netanyahu Says Israel Will Take Control Of Gaza Strip Indefinitely, Despite Biden Admin Pleas)
On a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday, Biden pressed for the daily pauses and tried to convince Netanyahu of the importance of longer cessations in hostilities, the AP reported. The call followed a renewed push for negotiations with the Hamas terrorist organization over hostage releases.
The Israelis have informed the Biden administration of the planned pauses, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday, CNN reported.
“We’ve been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today,” Kirby said.
The first humanitarian pause will be announced Thursday, and each one will be announced at least three hours in advance, Kirby explained, according to the AP.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) paused fighting in Gaza several times in recent days to create a safe path for civilians to flee contested areas of northern Gaza, the AP reported. However, Thursday’s announcement appeared as an attempt to formalize the process as Biden pressures Israel to take greater care over civilian safety.
There is no ceasefire. There are tactical, local pauses for humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians. These tactical pauses are limited in time and area. We are also providing humanitarian corridors for civilians in Gaza to temporarily move south to safer areas where they can receive… pic.twitter.com/qwNoYYf0QV
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 9, 2023
“Our war is with Hamas and not with the people of Gaza,” the IDF said in a social media statement earlier on Thursday. Videos of apparent Gaza civilians walking down a humanitarian causeway accompanied the statement.
Israel is opening a second corridor allowing civilians to evacuate parts of the city making up the IDF’s next objectives with a coastal road between the territory’s main highway running from north to south, the AP reported.
Earlier Thursday, the IDF announced it had captured a major Hamas stronghold known as Outpost 17 after ten hours of fighting across the ground and in Hamas’ vast underground tunnel network, according to The Times of Israel.
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