Israel will not provide a formal cease-fire for its Gaza offensive; but rather, the Jewish nation agreed to “Four hours of (daily) Humanitarian Pause” in its assault on Northern Gaza, commencing on Thursday, announced U.S. President Joe Biden in a statement published by the Associated Press.
Biden added that Israel will not consent to a cease-fire until it recovers its hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the same day “A ceasefire with Hamas means surrender,” reaffirming his goal of “eradicating Hamas” which he stated has been Israel’s objective, since Hamas instigated the conflict on October 7.
This “pause” is intended to enable the Palestinians to escape the zones of bombardment.
The Israeli army had opened “evacuation corridor” on Sunday, but Palestinians reported persistent fighting along this route, utilized by 100,000 people since Wednesday, according to figures from the Israeli army and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
According to the OCHA, there are now 1.6 million displaced people in Gaza, out of a total population of 2.4 million.
In the north–where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain–the lack of food is increasingly disconcerting, added the U.N.
Ahmad Mhanna, a doctor at Al-Awda hospital in Jabaliya, described a “tragic” situation. “Doctors use headlamps” in the maternity ward, much as they do in the operating theater, where surgeons work “under local anesthetic.”
AFTV film showed intense shelling on Thursday evening near the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, causing panic at the facility.
Israel, on the other hand, disputed the existence of a “humanitarian crisis” while conceding the “many difficulties” confronting Palestinian inhabitants whose homeland has been deprived of water, power, food, and medication due to Israel’s comprehensive blockade in effect since October 9.
According to OCHA, only 65 truckloads of supplies arrived from Egypt via the Rafah crossing on November 9, a quantity that was “completely insufficient.”
On Thursday, the Rafah terminal reopened to enable the evacuation of foreigners, dual nationals, and the wounded.
According to authorities, at least 1,400 people have perished in Israel since the beginning of the conflict. Furthermore, 239 individuals have been abducted and are being detained in Gaza.
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, Israeli bombardments have killed 10,812 individuals in Gaza, mostly civilians, including 4,412 children.