Israel has agreed to daily four-hour pauses in northern Gaza to let civilians flee, the White House said on Thursday, November 9, even as President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire.

Israel has agreed to daily four-hour military pauses in northern Gaza for humanitarian purposes, the White House said Thursday, even as President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire.

Biden has been pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for longer breaks in the fighting after more than a month of war sparked by the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged nations on Thursday to “work towards a ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as he opened a conference on aid to the Palestinian territory.

“In the immediate term, we need to work on protecting civilians. To do that, we need a humanitarian pause very quickly, and we must work towards a ceasefire,” Macron told delegates.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the pauses were “significant steps forward” as heavy fighting took hold of Gaza City in the north of the Gaza strip.

The pauses would allow humanitarian aid to get into the area and allow civilians to flee the fighting, he said.

But Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht appeared to downplay the pauses.

“It’s not a shift,” he told reporters. “These are tactical local pauses for humanitarian aid, which are limited in time and area.”

International calls for a ceasefire have mounted, as have protests, including one on the weekend which targeted the White House. However, Biden ruled out a longer truce for now.

“None. No possibility,” Biden told reporters when asked about the chances of a ceasefire.

He said he was “still optimistic” about freeing hostages — including the fewer than 10 US citizens held in Gaza. “We’re not going to stop until we get them out.”

He later confirmed that in a call with Netanyahu that “I’ve asked for a pause longer than three days”. When asked if he was frustrated with Netanyahu, he said, “it’s taken a little longer than I hoped.”

The United States has firmly stood by key ally Israel since the attacks, saying that Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in control of Gaza.

Khalil Wakim, with AFP