Israel-Hamas war Updates: Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting, says White House

United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday said that both Hamas and Israel have committed “war crimes” in the past month, reported ANI citing CNN. “The atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian armed groups on October 7 were heinous, brutal, and shocking. They were war crimes - as is the continued holding of hostages,” he said.

The White House on Thursday said that Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza for civilians to flee the fighting. US President Joe Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a call on Monday.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday said that there is “no possibility” of a ceasefire in Gaza.

An unidentified drone hit a building in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, the Israeli military said on Thursday. According to emergency services, there were no injuries.

The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said that at least 10,812 Palestinians, including 4,412 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes.

The Palestinian health ministry on Thursday said that eight Palestinians were killed and at least 14 others were injured in a raid on Jenin city and a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday declined a partial transfer of tax revenues from Israel, reported Reuters citing the Palestinian finance ministry statement.

"What the Israeli government is doing far exceeds the right to self-defence," Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry told the conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, complaining of an "imbalance" in "the international conscience".

Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in a raid on Jenin city and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, as reported by the Palestinian health ministry on Thursday. Israel's military confirmed the counter-terrorism raids in Jenin but provided no additional details.

A faster resolution to the fighting in Gaza could help limit civilian strife that might spur people to join the ranks of Palestinian militants, U.S. President Joe Biden's top military adviser said.

General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Israel's stated aim for its military campaign in Gaza -- the complete destruction of the Hamas militant group that runs the territory -- was "a pretty large order."

But he also said Israel was focused on targeting the senior leadership of Hamas, which might be achieved more quickly.

"I think the longer this goes, the harder it can become," Brown told reporters before arriving in Japan on Thursday, in his first detailed remarks on the month-old conflict.

French authorities took Palestinian activist Mariam Abudaqa into custody on Wednesday night in Paris, following a court-approved decision for her deportation, as disclosed by her lawyer.

The Mossad reported that the Israeli intelligence agency and other Israeli security organizations together aided the Brazilian security services in foiling a terrorist attack in Brazil that was planned by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, and directed and financed by the Iranian regime.

The attack was planned against Israeli and Jewish targets in Brazil.

The UK government is cranking up its disagreement with London's police chief, accusing officers of a lenient approach to left-wing causes during a pro-Palestinian march. Tensions rise as plans for a Saturday demonstration on Armistice Day stir a clash between the government and police, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging accountability for any trouble, challenging the decision not to ban the event.

A government office controlled by Hamas has reportedly claimed that a child is losing their life every 10 minutes amid the ongoing turmoil in the region.

Israeli forces from the IDF's Nahal Brigade successfully took control of a Hamas 17 in western Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF said. The operation involved clashes with militants from both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both above ground and in tunnels.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that they have destroyed at least 130 tunnels since the beginning of the war as part of efforts to destroy Hamas infrastructure. The Hamas militants infiltrated Israel through land, sea and air, as they carried out the October 7 assault.

In a post on social media platform X, the IDF wrote, "IDF combat engineers are currently working to expose and destroy Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including tunnels."

"Water and oxygen storage discovered inside the tunnels indicates Hamas' preparations for prolonged stays underground. 130 tunnel entrances have been destroyed since the beginning of the war," it added.

The situation in Gaza's hospitals is dire due to Israel's wartime siege, causing power cuts and disruptions in the supply of essential items, reported AP. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is grappling with a doubled workload in the maternity department, leading to an increase in premature births.

Shouq Hararah, one of those mothers, says her delivery took place with “no proper birth procedures, no anaesthesia, painkillers or anything.”

International representatives from Western and Arab nations, the United Nations, and NGOs are convening in Paris for a conference focused on providing aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Proposals on the table include a humanitarian maritime corridor and floating field hospitals. Over 50 nations, including European countries, the United States, and regional powers like Jordan, Egypt, and Gulf countries, are expected to attend. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh will also be present. Israeli authorities, however, will not participate.

Two Israelis were shot and moderately wounded while driving in the northern West Bank, reported AP. The victims were reportedly attacked while in their vehicle, and a baby in the back seat emerged unharmed. This marks the second shooting attack on Israeli drivers in the West Bank within a week. On November 2, an Israeli man lost his life in a similar incident when his car was targeted, leading to a tragic crash and overturn.

Former US President Bill Clinton asserted that Israelis and Palestinians need new leadership to restore peace in the war-torn region.

“You have to create the environment in which there is a chance to revitalize the peace process,” Clinton said in an interview with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait.

“I think there needs to be new leadership of the Israelis and the Palestinians in order to have any chance at some kind of peace deal, especially a two-state solution.”