WASHINGTON – The United States says Israel will begin to implement four-hour military pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day to allow civilians to flee.
US President Joe Biden says it’s a “step in the right direction” adding that he will continue to advocate for aid to the territory.
Earlier the Israeli military said “there are tactical, local pauses for humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians” and made clear “there is no ceasefire”.
The Islamic Jihad group in Gaza has released a video of two Israeli hostages – an elderly woman and a boy.
Heavy fighting has been reported around two major hospitals in Gaza City, as Israel says its troops are battling Hamas fighters deep inside the area.
Israel began striking Gaza after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, which saw 1,400 people killed and more than 200 taken hostage.
More than 10,800 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including more than 4,400 children.
Biden says Israel’s decision to implement pauses in fighting comes after he has been speaking to the country’s leadership about the issue for weeks.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he says that from Thursday, there will be two humanitarian corridors in Gaza allowing people to escape the hostilities.
Biden also says that while the number of aid trucks getting supplies into the Strip via Egypt’s Rafah border is increasing, the US is aiming for at least 150 trucks a day.
On Wednesday, that number was 106.
The President describes the humanitarian pauses, which are now to include daily four-hour breaks in the fighting, as a “step in the right direction”.
“You have my word: I will continue to advocate for civilian safety and focus on increasing aid to alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza,” he said. (BBC)
