Following pressure from the Biden Administration, Israel has agreed to a humanitarian pause in its push into Gaza. This would allow civilians to relocate to the South of the country which is more sparsely populated.
While this will no doubt save civilian lives, it could also help Hamas strengthen its defenses and cause further Israeli Army deaths. It is also likely that this decision by itself will not sway public opinion in favor of Israel. AP News reports:
Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza, the White House said Thursday, as President Joe Biden pressed Israelis for a multi-day stoppage in the fighting in a bid to negotiate the release of hostages held by the militant group.
Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call and said he had also asked the Israelis for a pause of at least three days to allow for hostage negotiations.
The Biden Administration is further worried that should the attacks on Gaza continue, Hamas will be able to recruit additional members. The NY Times continues:
The combat pauses, which will include at least three hours of advance notice, expand on what Israel has been doing in recent days. Its forces have allowed people to evacuate northern Gaza for several hours at a time along a single corridor leading south.
Senior American officials expressed concern this week that Israel has only a limited amount of time to carry out its operations before concerns over the spiraling civilian death toll constrain its goal of eradicating Hamas. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he was worried that each civilian killed in Gaza could generate future members of Hamas.
The White House is stuck in an untenable position, attacked by the Left and the Right. This crisis could end up being a huge blow to Biden, as recent polling against Trump has shown.
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