A statement from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office carried by The Times of Israel has no mention of the four-hour humanitarian pauses the White House announced, and instead pushes the narrative that Israeli forces are already pausing fighting for several hours a day to allow civilians to travel south.
“The fighting is continuing and there will be no ceasefire without the release of our captives,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in the statement. “Israel is enabling safe corridors from the Strip’s north to its south, as 50,000 [Palestinians in Gaza] did only yesterday.”
The quick response from Israel shows that “perhaps the United States, [National Security Council spokesperson] John Kirby in particular, and the Israelis are not on the same page on this,” Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reported from occupied East Jerusalem.
Far-right Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir, also condemned the pauses, calling them a “serious mistake” if they are not coupled with the release of captives. He also questioned if Israel’s war cabinet had the authority to make the decision while calling for it to be brought before the wider security cabinet.
Source: alJazeera
