11:47 a.m. ET, November 9, 2023
Israel to Initiate 4-Hour Pauses of Military Operations in Northern Gaza Daily, Confirms US
Israel is set to commence four-hour pauses of military operations in parts of northern Gaza every day, as announced by the White House. This move is aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid and allowing civilians to escape the conflict zone.
According to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, Israel will disclose the timing of these pauses three hours in advance.
“The Israelis have assured us that there will be no military operations during these pauses, and this process will commence today,” Kirby stated.
The United States has welcomed this development, describing the pauses as “positive steps.”
“We have been urging the Israelis to minimize civilian casualties and to do everything that they can to reduce those numbers,” Kirby said, emphasizing that the pauses will offer “breathing space for a few hours” to allow civilians to move out of harm’s way.
Kirby also highlighted that the pauses would provide “brief windows of opportunity” for the potential safe passage of hostages being held by Hamas.
Biden pushing for longer pauses: US President Joe Biden expressed his advocacy for a longer humanitarian pause. “We’re hopeful. Things are moving along,” Biden stated regarding the ongoing efforts to secure the release of over 200 hostages, including some Americans, in Gaza.
When asked about his request to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a three-day pause to facilitate the process, Biden confirmed that he had been pushing for a longer duration. He also downplayed concerns over Netanyahu’s response to the US, acknowledging that the process has taken longer than anticipated.
The Israel Defense Forces extended Thursday’s evacuation window to six hours to allow people to flee south.
CNN’s Betsy Klein, Arlette Saenz and Abeer Salman contributed reporting to this post.
