Israel Agrees To Four-Hour Daily Humanitarian Pause

What’s the story?

• Israel agreed to a daily four-hour humanitarian pause in its attack on Gaza.
• The White House said on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the daily pauses as President Biden pushed for a multiple-day break in the assault to negotiate the release of Hamas hostages. Biden said that the agreement to a humanitarian pause had “taken a little longer” than he had hoped and that there was “no possibility” of a formal ceasefire at the moment. 

Why the four-hour pause?

• The daily pause will allow more civilians in Gaza to flee south through what Israel dubbed a “humanitarian corridor.” Tens of thousands have already evacuated. While similar short-term pauses have occurred over the last few days, these four-hour windows will introduce a more formalized and expansive process to safely get civilians off the battlefield. 
• Netanyahu said during an interview with Fox News:

“[T]he fighting continues against the Hamas enemy, the Hamas terrorist, but in specific locations for a given period, a few hours here, a few hours there, we want to facilitate a safe passage of civilians away from the zone of fighting. And we’re doing that.”

• National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby added that this window would allow aid to reach injured and in-need Palestinians in Gaza. 
• An announcement will be made three hours before each pause to allow people to prepare for evacuation. Kirby said:

“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.”

Calls for a pause

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “far too many Palestinians have been killed, far too many have suffered these past weeks." Blinken has continuously urged Israel to protect civilian life in Gaza, but said a ceasefire would enable Hamas to regroup and gain an advantage. 
• U.N. chief António Guterres has called for a ceasefire to relieve the “epic human suffering” in the Gaza Strip. Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, has also called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
• Protests have erupted worldwide, urging leaders to call for a ceasefire. 

Do you support the calls for a humanitarian pause? Let your reps know.

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Twitter/@Timesofgaza)