Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza to allow civilians to flee

The White House said Israel has agreed to implement four-hour humanitarian pauses a day starting Thursday in its attack on Hamas in northern Gaza, as the Biden administration said it has secured a second route for civilians to continue the fighting to escape.

President Joe Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to impose the daily breaks during a call on Monday. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the first humanitarian pause would be announced on Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance.

Israel, he said, was also opening a second corridor for civilians to flee areas currently at the center of its military campaign against Hamas, with a coastal road connecting to the area’s main north-south highway .

Biden also told reporters that he had asked the Israelis for a pause longer than three days during negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas, although he said there was no possibility of a general ceasefire.

Asked if he was frustrated with Netanyahu over the delays in establishing humanitarian pauses, Biden said: It’s taken a little longer than I hoped.

Kirby told reporters Thursday that breaks could be helpful in getting all 239 hostages back to their families, including the fewer than 10 Americans known to be being held. So if we can get all the hostages out, that’s a nice finite goal.

Humanitarian breaks can be helpful in the transfer process, he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had warned Israel last week that it risked destroying any possibility of peace unless it acted quickly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas .

In a blunt call for Israel to pause military operations in the area to allow for immediate and increased aid, Blinken said the situation would push Palestinians toward further radicalism and effectively end the prospects of a possible resumption of peace talks to end the conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron had opened an aid conference in Gaza on Thursday with a call on Israel to protect civilians. He said that all lives are of equal value and that the fight against terrorism can never be carried out without rules.