Israel Agrees to 4-Hour Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting

Facts

• The White House said that Israel agreed to daily, four-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting in areas of northern Gaza starting on Thursday to allow Palestinian civilians to flee the combat zone, committing to announce each safe window at least three hours in advance.¹
• This comes as the Associated Press reported that negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US were underway to reach a humanitarian three-day cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for Hamas releasing about a dozen hostages.²
• US Pres. Joe Biden told reporters that he had personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a pause 'longer than three days' to secure the freeing of hostages, expressing some frustration that his counterpart had allegedly resisted a prolonged pause.³
• The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened by the day, prompting calls for a cease-fire. Last week, in a rare move, the heads of 18 UN and humanitarian agencies issued a joint statement demanding the cessation of hostilities. Protests calling for the same have also been held across the world's major cities.⁴
• A few hours before this announcement, officials from the UN and a range of Western and Arab countries, alongside members of non-governmental organizations, stressed the urgent need for aid for civilians in the enclave and pledged more than $1B in funding at a Paris conference.⁵
• As of Wednesday, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said 10,569 people, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women, had been killed in Israeli bombardments since Oct. 7, when Hamas killed at least 1,400 people and abducted about 240 people in the deadliest attack ever against Israel.⁶

Sources: ¹New York Post, ²Associated Press (a), ³Politico, ⁴NPR Online News, ⁵Associated Press (b) and ⁶Euronews.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. After Hamas' heinous attack on Israel, the country has a right and a duty to carry out this invasion of Gaza. However, a short, temporary cease-fire may be possible on the condition that it comes with the release of Israeli hostages.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Living under a total blockade and unrelenting Israeli air strikes, figures show that one Palestinian child is dying every 15 minutes. A humanitarian cease-fire needs to be established immediately so that much-needed aid can enter the territory.
• Narrative C, as provided by Washington Post. Currently, the terms 'cease-fire' and 'humanitarian pause' are being used interchangeably, yet they have major distinctions. While many Israel advocates suggest a 'cease-fire' would draw out the conflict, ultimately leading to more bloodshed, many Palestinian advocates argue that mere 'pauses' are not enough to abate the humanitarian catastrophe. It's vital for all parties and the international community to clearly define the scope of these terms immediately and minimize the fog of war to the extent possible.

Predictions