Israel Agrees to Daily Humanitarian Pauses in Northern Gaza
In a major development, the US government announced on Thursday that Israel has agreed to implement daily humanitarian pauses of four hours each day in its military operations in the northern Gaza Strip. This decision follows President Joe Biden’s request to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement daily breaks during a conversation on Monday.
John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, stated in a call with journalists that the information was received by the US government from Israeli sources. According to Kirby, the humanitarian pauses will involve stopping military operations in the north of the Gaza Strip, and they are set to begin on Thursday. The Israelis will announce at least three hours in advance when the pause will take place, as per the statement by Kirby, who also emphasized the US government’s longstanding demand for Israel to minimize civilian casualties and take all possible measures to reduce the numbers.
In a related development, Kirby noted that the pauses will provide a “window of opportunity” for those kidnapped by Hamas to leave Gaza. Additionally, Israel has opened a second corridor to allow Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to flee to the south. The move comes as the Israeli Army announced the destruction of what it described as an “important Hamas center” in northern Gaza, where intense fighting has led to a significant flow of Palestinians to the south.
The ongoing violence, which began with a Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7, has resulted in a ground offensive by Israel over a week ago, intensifying the conflict. According to Gaza authorities, the bombings have resulted in over 10,500 Palestinian deaths, including 4,300 children. The West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, has reported 170 deaths from gunfire by soldiers or settlers.
The United Nations has reported that at least 50,000 Palestinians crossed into southern Gaza on Tuesday alone, with an estimated 72,000 people moving south since Sunday, all of them on foot, as Israelis force those traveling by car to abandon them.
With the intensification of the Israel-Hamas conflict, concerns have been raised about the impact of violent images and news on mental health. As the situation in the region remains dire, efforts to mitigate civilian casualties continue to be of paramount importance.