Israel agrees to humanitarian pauses in fighting in northern Gaza

Israel has agreed to four-hour pauses in fighting in northern Gaza every day, Haaretz newspaper reports, citing a statement from John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council.

According to Kirby, Israel has notified the United States that military operations will not be conducted in the areas while the pauses are active. The breaks will be announced three hours in advance.

The White House says the new announcement is “a step in the right direction”, according to the Reuters news agency. The daily breaks will begin on Thursday.

According to John Kirby, the announcement comes after talks between US and Israeli officials in recent days. Conversations between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should also have led to the announcement.

Israel also reportedly agreed to open two humanitarian corridors from northern to southern Gaza.

The text is updated.

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