Israel has agreed to put in place daily four-hour pauses in its relentless assault on Hamas in selected areas of northern Gaza to allow civilians to flee or just go outside without fear of danger, the White House announced on Thursday, culminating days of pressure from President Biden as the casualty toll mounts.
The agreement formalizes and expands on what Israel has been doing in recent days as it suspended attacks along a single corridor for several hours at a time to allow people to leave northern Gaza. In addition to opening a second such evacuation corridor along a coastal road, Israel will designate a specific area or neighborhood each day that will be free of fighting for four hours.