Israel agrees to daily four-hour pauses in north Gaza, White House says

Israel will start four-hour humanitarian pauses in parts of northern Gaza every day, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday.

"We’ve been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today," Kirby said, according to CNN. 

He also said he hopes that the pauses happen as long as needed, but he repeated that the United States does not support a ceasefire because it would help Hamas "legitimise what they did" on Oct. 7, when terrorists entered Israel and murdered more than 1,400 people, including over 30 U.S. citizens.

"There is no ceasefire. There are tactical, local pauses for humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians," the Israel Defense Forces posted on X, formerly Twitter, before Kirby's announcement. "We are also providing humanitarian corridors for civilians in Gaza to temporarily move south to safer areas where they can receive humanitarian aid. Our war is with Hamas and not with the people of Gaza."

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