Israel has agreed to implement daily four-hour pauses in the fighting with Hamas in selected areas of northern Gaza to allow civilians to escape, as announced by the White House on Thursday. This decision comes after days of pressure from President Biden, as the casualties continue to rise.
For the past few days, Israel has permitted people to evacuate northern Gaza for a four-hour period each day through a single corridor, passing through Israeli military lines as they head south. It is not clear how the pauses announced by the White House will differ from this existing arrangement.
According to John F. Kirby, a White House spokesperson, “We have been informed by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas during the pause, and this process starts today.” He added that each pause will be announced three hours in advance, and a second safe corridor along the coastal road will be opened for evacuations.
In response to the White House announcement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated, “Israel is permitting safe passage corridors from the northern Gaza Strip to the south.” The statement also mentioned that 50,000 Gazans had used this route on Wednesday alone.
However, the statement added, “the fighting is continuing, and there will be no cease-fire until our hostages are released.” It further urged the civilian population in Gaza to evacuate to the south.
During a call on Monday, Mr. Biden requested Mr. Netanyahu to pause its assault on Hamas, allowing more civilians to flee and potentially facilitating the release of over 200 hostages, including a few Americans.
“I’ve requested a pause longer than three days,” Mr. Biden stated before leaving for a domestic policy trip to Illinois. When asked if he was frustrated by the delay in agreement from Mr. Netanyahu, the president hinted at some impatience, saying, “It’s taken a little longer than I hoped.” Regarding the fate of the hostages, he expressed optimism, saying, “We’re still optimistic.”
However, Mr. Biden has not joined the calls for a full cease-fire, stating that Israel has a legitimate interest in dismantling Hamas following their terrorist attack on October 7, which claimed the lives of over 1,400 people. He reiterated on Thursday that a cease-fire is not a possibility.