The White House announced on Thursday, the 9th of November, that after several days of talks with senior Biden administration officials, Israel will begin implementing short daily humanitarian “pauses” in the fighting in northern Gaza, reports Politico.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that starting Thursday, four-hour “pauses” in Gaza operations will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and allow civilians to leave dangerous areas.
According to Politico, Kirby said that the announcement was a
“direct result” of President Joe Biden’s “personal leadership and diplomacy”.
However, the agreement is not in line with the White House’s objectives. According to Politico, President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said he had requested a pause “longer than three days” to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
The Thursday statement from Netanyahu’s office did not explicitly mention the pause, but it did stress that Israel is facilitating safe passage through humanitarian corridors from the northern Gaza Strip to the south, and that “50 000 Gazan civilians used them yesterday”, writes Politico.
The statement said the conflict will continue and there will only be a ceasefire if the hostages are released, adding that “we call once again on Gaza civilians to evacuate to the south.”
Read also: Israel says it is open for humanitarian pauses in Gaza
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