Biden approves 4-hr break to 'mass killings' in Gaza

NT Bureau, Agencies

Tel Aviv/Gaza City: In what the White House called a "step in the right direction," the Israeli occupation will begin to implement 4-hour pauses in Gaza to allow people to "flee hostilities".

It is unclear where they are supposed to "flee" considering that they are trapped in a besieged strip.

On Thursday, at least 12 Palestinians killed, 16 wounded in multiple Israeli raids on Jenin refugee camp in occupied West Bank.

The pauses, according to White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby, were the fruit of conversations between American and Israeli officials in the past several days, including conversations between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden stated Thursday that there was no possibility for a ceasefire on "Israel's" part. When asked by a reporter if there was a chance for a ceasefire following the "pauses deal", Biden responded by saying, "None, no possibility."

The Israeli army reiterated Thursday that there would be no cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, only “limited, localized tactical pauses.”

“There is no ceasefire. There are tactical, local pauses for humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians,” the army wrote on X.

It noted that the pauses are “limited in time and area.”

According to Kirby, the pauses would let people escape danger, permit the delivery of humanitarian goods, and even serve as a means of freeing captives. Evidently, what the US really means is that the pauses are there to free the captives that the Resistance is holding.

"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 explained.

This comes although the US has claimed repeatedly its rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from the north to the south of Gaza, saying a new Nakba will not be accepted. Israel has been escalating its military actions, including airstrikes, ground operations, and naval bombardments, particularly in the northern region of the Gaza Strip, where it is advancing with tanks.

Israel has launched an air and ground assault on Gaza that has so far killed at least 10,812 Palestinians, including more than 4,400 children.

At least 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza are now internally displaced, according to UN estimates, as large swaths of the besieged territory lie in ruins.