The White House confirmed on Thursday (November 9) that Israel has agreed to pause military operations against Hamas for at least four hours at different times to allow the evacuation of civilians within Gaza City, which has since been surrounded by Israeli forces.
In a briefing with reporters, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that Israel would begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day, "with an announcement to be made three hours beforehand."
"We've been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause and that this process is starting today," he added.
An Israeli official familiar with the development told The Hill on the condition of anonymity that the pause was for humanitarian purposes, "to allow people to move to the south, to get food and medicine."
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A vehicle (front) of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) escorts Palestinian health ministry ambulances transporting injured people to the Rafah crossing with Egypt, from Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on November 9, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Balancing Victory with Empathy
Ever since the war began, Israel has been bombarding Gaza to eliminate what it said to be Hamas facilities embedded inside civilian and residential areas.
As casualties increased, the international community and pro-Palestine protesters called for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid in and expatriates and wounded civilians out via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Last week, US President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to "tactical pauses" to ease the deepening humanitarian crisis in the strip.
Biden administration officials added that any major pause in the fighting would unlikely be respected by Hamas, which the US not only designated as a terrorist organization but also supported Israel in eradicating it completely.
Despite the latest development, the US was still being pressured to forcefully push Israel to work towards increasing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
"Israel makes its own decisions," Kirby reminded reporters. "It's fighting an enemy that is embedded in the civilian population."
"At the same time, Israel has an obligation to fully comply with international law, and we believe these pauses are a step in the right direction, particularly to help ensure that civilians have an opportunity to reach safer areas away from the act of fighting."
IDF: Pauses are Not Ceasefires
On the other hand, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) stressed that the pauses it agreed to were not tantamount to a ceasefire. It also showed a video featuring scores of Palestinians carrying white flags as they trudge along the streets of Gaza's ruined structures.
Kirby further stated that at least one corridor opened by the IDF had been operational for between four and five hours every day for the past few days.
A secondary coastal route would allow more people to flee the area of fighting, Kirby said, adding that the US remained concerned that Hamas would discourage or prevent civilians from fleeing.
Kirby added that the Israelis engaging in such pauses could help with the potential movement of unaccounted-for hostages to a safer place away from the conflict zone.
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