The White House announced on Thursday that Israel has agreed to four-hour daily pauses in fighting in northern Gaza to allow people to flee danger and to let humanitarian aid in. However, shortly after this announcement, Israel targeted Gaza’s largest hospital and surrounded four others. With thousands of Palestinians killed and injured and supplies running low, experts question the effectiveness and intent of these pauses. Additionally, there is no ceasefire planned between Israel and Hamas. Emanuela-Chiara Gillard suggested that a third-party mediator should facilitate agreed pauses, as a unilateral move by Israel raises concerns about Hamas’s commitment to the pause as well as the safety of civilians. Others feel that these pauses are insufficient, and that Israel needs to cease hostilities entirely. US President Joe Biden is under pressure to call for a ceasefire and may be considering intervening to stop Israel’s offensive. There is also tension between the US and Israel over the humanitarian pause. Overall, many are skeptical about the effectiveness of these pauses and continue to call for a full humanitarian ceasefire for the sake of civilians.