Biden says humanitarian pauses ‘step in right direction’, but ‘no possibility’ of ceasefire

Issued on: 10/11/2023 – 01:52Modified: 10/11/2023 – 02:00

3 min

• Israel has agreed to daily four-hour military pauses in northern Gaza, the White House said Thursday, even as President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire.
• Speaking at a humanitarian aid conference for Gaza on Thursday in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said that there must be a humanitarian pause in the fighting in the Gaza Strip and that countries must “work for a ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war.

• The Israeli military said its latest hypersonic ballistic missile interceptor had for the first time Thursday destroyed a “target” headed toward Israel from the Red Sea, highlighting potential attacks from Yemen. The announcement of the landmark launch of the Arrow 3 interceptor came shortly after Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they had fired “a barrage of ballistic missiles” at Israel. Separately, a drone hit a school in the southern Israeli resort of Eilat, at the tip of the Red Sea.

• The French foreign ministry accused Russian online networks of attempting to “exploit international crises to sow confusion” in France and in Europe by sharing photos of the Stars of David appearing around Paris, graffiti that has been widely suspected of being an anti-Semitic statement. 

1:51am: Media workers stage sit-in at New York Times headquarters to call for ceasefire in Gaza

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday, accusing the media of betraying a bias toward Israel in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the publication’s Manhattan headquarters. Many entered the building’s atrium for a sit-in and vigil that lasted more than an hour.

Led by a group of media workers calling themselves “Writers Bloc,” demonstrators read off the names of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza, including at least 36 journalists whose deaths have been confirmed since the war began.

They scattered editions of a mock newspaper – “The New York War Crimes” – that charged the media with “complicity in laundering genocide” and called on the Times’ editorial board to publicly back a ceasefire.

12:11am: Israel says ballistic missile destroyer hits first ‘target’

The Israeli military said its latest hypersonic ballistic missile interceptor had for the first time Thursday destroyed a “target” headed toward Israel from the Red Sea, highlighting potential attacks from Yemen.

The announcement of the landmark launch of the Arrow 3 interceptor came shortly after Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they had fired “a barrage of ballistic missiles” at Israel.

Separately, a drone hit a school in the southern Israeli resort of Eilat, at the tip of the Red Sea.

12:11am: Biden says humanitarian ‘pauses’ ‘a step in the right direction’

Israel has agreed to humanitarian “pauses” in its offensive on Hamas in Gaza after pressure from the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

Biden said they were a “step in the right direction” that would help civilians flee the fighting and get more aid into stricken areas.

The White House said there would be daily, four-hour pauses in northern Gaza, with warning given three hours beforehand.

Biden has been pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for longer breaks in the fighting after more than a month of war sparked by the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)