Current:Home > InvestIsrael agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee, White House says -BeyondProfit Compass
Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee, White House says
View
Date:2025-04-13 05:12:25
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza starting on Thursday, as the Biden administration said it has secured a second pathway for civilians to flee fighting.
President Joe Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the first humanitarian pause would be announced Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance. Israel, he said, also was opening a second corridor for civilians to flee the areas that are the current focus of its military campaign against Hamas, with a coastal road joining the territory’s main north-south highway.
Biden also told reporters that he had asked the Israelis for a “pause longer than three days” during negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas, though he said there was “no possibility” of a general cease-fire. Asked if he was frustrated by Netanyahu over the delays instituting humanitarian pauses, Biden said, “It’s taken a little longer than I hoped.”
Kirby told reporters Thursday that pauses could be useful to “getting all 239 hostages back with their families to include the less than 10 Americans that we know are being held. So if we can get all the hostages out, that’s a nice finite goal.”
“Humanitarian pauses can be useful in the transfer process,” he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had warned Israel last week that it risked destroying an eventual possibility for peace unless it acted swiftly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas.
In a blunt call for Israel to pause military operations in the territory to allow for the immediate and increased delivery of assistance, Blinken said the situation would drive Palestinians toward further radicalism and effectively end prospects for any eventual resumption of peace talks to end the conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron had opened a Gaza aid conference on Thursday with an appeal for Israel to protect civilians, saying that “all lives have equal worth” and that fighting terrorism “can never be carried out without rules.”
veryGood! (12347)
Related
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- A 9-year-old child is fatally shot in Milwaukee, the city’s 4th young gunshot victim in recent weeks
- Atlanta Falcons forfeit fifth-round pick, fined for tampering with Kirk Cousins
- Unanimous Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Minneapolis named happiest city in the U.S.
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard Gets Candid About How She Experimented With Her Sexuality in Prison
- NYC considers ending broker fees for tenants, angering real estate industry
- Sam Taylor
- Hunter Biden's options for appeal after gun conviction
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Is there life out there? NASA latest spacewalk takes fresh approach
- Nearly 4 inches of rain fell in an hour in Sarasota – and the 1 in 1,000-year record event could happen again
- U.S. cricket team recovers from poor start but loses to India at Twenty20 World Cup
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- The Daily Money: Do you have a millionaire next door?
- Palestinian supporters vandalize homes of Brooklyn Museum officials and other locations in NYC
- A 98-year-old man’s liver was donated. He is believed to be the oldest American organ donor ever
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Jersey Shore cops, pols want to hold parents responsible for kids’ rowdy actions after melees
Inflation surprise: Prices unchanged in May, defying expectations, CPI report shows
Emma Heming Willis Celebrates Her and Bruce Willis' Daughter Mabel Graduating With Family Affair
Small twin
The Brat Pack but no Breakfast Club? Why Andrew McCarthy documentary is missing members
Kroger is giving away free ice cream this summer: How to get the coupon
House to hold Merrick Garland contempt vote Wednesday