The four-hour pauses will allow civilians to flee northern Gaza, where the fighting is concentrated. They will also allow aid from the border crossing in Egypt to enter the besieged population of the Gaza Strip.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced the move on Nov. 9, adding that the new Israeli policy began "today."
"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," said Kirby. "There will be no military operations in these areas for the duration of these pauses." (Related: Sen. Lindsey Graham says civilian casualties in Gaza are no big deal: No need to "limit civilian casualties" or provide any humanitarian aid at all.)
U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly to institute these daily pauses during a call on Nov. 6. This call was followed up by a meeting between the directors of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and its Israeli counterpart, Mossad, in Qatar to negotiate the terms of such daily pauses. Biden also reportedly asked the Israelis for a longer pause of at least three days to facilitate hostage negotiations.
"I've asked for even a longer pause for some of them," said Biden to reporters. He added there was "no possibility" of a formal ceasefire at the moment, and said that Israel was taking "a little longer" than he hoped to agree to humanitarian pauses to the conflict.
This formal rejection of a long-term ceasefire from Israel and the U.S. comes despite growing international pressure for an end to the conflict.
Israel to open second humanitarian corridor
Kirby added that Israel has agreed to open a second humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to flee the areas that are currently the focus of the IDF's military campaign against Hamas. However, he remained silent about any specific details regarding the physical parameters of the pauses or how many days there would be pauses.
"The fighting continues and there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages," said Netanyahu's office in a statement. "Israel is allowing safe passage through humanitarian corridors from the northern Gaza Strip to the south, which 50,000 Gazans utilized just yesterday. We once again call on the civilian population of Gaza to evacuate to the south."
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said that the IDF's overall strategy has not shifted in light of the pauses. There will still be no ceasefire, and the "tactical local pauses" are purely for humanitarian purposes.
"These evacuation corridors are for civilians to move south to safer areas where they can receive humanitarian aid," added Hecht, who also said that Israel "would try" to expand these humanitarian corridors for civilians.
Learn more about the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza at Genocide.news.
Watch this episode of "The Last American Vagabond" discussing how the U.S. government continues to lie about its desire to seek a ceasefire in Gaza.
This video is from the What Is Happening channel on Brighteon.com.
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for immediate humanitarian CEASEFIRE in Gaza.
The West's refusal to call for a ceasefire is a green light to Israel's ethnic cleansing.
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