Israel has agreed to put in place daily four-hour pauses in the fighting with Hamas in selected areas of northern Gaza to allow civilians to flee, the White House announced on Thursday, culminating days of pressure from President Biden as the casualty toll mounts.
For several days, Israel has allowed people to evacuate northern Gaza for a four-hour period each day along a single corridor, passing through Israeli military lines as they head south. It was not immediately clear how the pauses announced by the White House would expand on that.
“We have 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,” John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the White House, said in a statement. Each pause will be announced three hours in advance, he said, and a second safe corridor along the coastal road will be opened for evacuations.
Asked about the White House announcement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “Israel is permitting safe passage corridors from the northern Gaza Strip to the south.” It added that 50,000 Gazans had taken that route on Wednesday alone.
But “the fighting is continuing and there will be no cease-fire until our hostages are released,” the statement added. “We again call on the civilian population in Gaza to evacuate to the south.”
Mr. Biden said he asked Mr. Netanyahu during a call on Monday to pause its assault on Hamas, which would allow more civilians to flee the fighting and possibly facilitate the release of more than 200 hostages, including a handful of Americans.
“I’ve asked for a pause longer than three days,” Mr. Biden told reporters on Thursday before leaving for a domestic policy trip to Illinois. Asked if he was frustrated that Mr. Netanyahu took so long to agree, the president hinted at some impatience. “It’s taken a little longer than I hoped,” he said. As for the fate of the hostages, he said, “We’re still optimistic.”
But Mr. Biden has not joined the calls by some in his party and around the world for a full cease-fire, reasoning that Israel has a legitimate interest in destroying Hamas after its Oct. 7 terrorist attack killed more than 1,400 people. He ruled out the prospect of a cease-fire again on Thursday, saying: “None. No possibility.”
