The White House said on Thursday that Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas, reports news agency AP. This has been done in order to enable Palestinians to flee hostilities in the coastal enclave.
Biden said that there was “no possibility” of a formal cease-fire at the moment, but also expressed frustration that Israel took so long to agree to the humanitarian pauses. He has also asked Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call and added that he has asked the Israelis for a “pause longer than three days” to allow for negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas.
“It’s taken a little longer than I hoped,” Biden told reporters.
The pauses emerged from discussions between US and Israeli officials in recent days, including talks US President Biden had with Netanyahu, Kirby said.
“We understand that Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day, with an announcement to be made three hours beforehand,” Kirby told reporters.
The pauses announced would allow people to get out of harm’s way and for deliveries of humanitarian aid, and they could also be used as a way to get hostages out of Gaza. Hamas killed 1,400 people and took 240 hostages during the attack on October 7. Israel responded with an air bombardment and a ground invasion, seeking to oust the Islamist group from Gaza.
According to Palestinian officials, 10,812 Gaza residents had been killed as of Thursday.
News agency ANI, quoting the IDF, said that approximately 50,000 Palestinians used the corridor on Wednesday alone. Netanyahu’s office emphasised that the fighting persists, stating, “there will be no ceasefire without the release of our captives.”
Earlier, Israel President Issac Herzog said that in spite of rampant media reports about an impending deal about Hamas releasing some hostages in exchange for a pause in the war, no such serious proposal was on the table, reports The Times of Israel.
On Thursday, a trilateral meeting was held in Doha that involved Qatari officials and the intelligence chiefs of Israel and the US. It was attended by CIA Director William Burns, Mossad head David Barnea, and Qatari officials, focused on hostage releases in exchange for a three-day pause in fighting and the entry of additional aid into Gaza, reports ANI, quoting CNN.