The White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza starting on Thursday. President Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call, the AP reports. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the first humanitarian pause would be announced Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance. He described the move as a "significant first step," per the BBC. "Obviously we want to see them continued for as long as they are needed," he added.
Israel, Kirby said, is also opening a second corridor for civilians to flee the areas that are the current focus of its military campaign against Hamas, with a coastal road joining the territory's main north-south highway. Biden 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, though he said there was "no possibility" of a general ceasefire. Asked if he was frustrated by Netanyahu over the delays instituting humanitarian pauses, Biden said, "It's taken a little longer than I hoped."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel last week that it risked destroying an eventual possibility for peace unless it acted swiftly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas. He said the situation would drive Palestinians toward further radicalism and effectively end prospects for any eventual resumption of peace talks to end the conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron had opened a Gaza aid conference on Thursday with an appeal for Israel to protect civilians, saying that "all lives have equal worth" and that fighting terrorism "can never be carried out without rules."
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