The US has ruled out any hope of a ceasefire in Gaza.

"No. That's not possible," Biden told reporters outside the White House on November 9th local time, when asked about the possibility of ending hostilities altogether.

Speaking privately to reporters on the day he boarded Air Force One, President Biden revealed that he had pushed for a “pause” of fighting “for more than three days.” However, the U.S. was unable to secure such a long period of truce from Israel, which appeared determined to continue the fight against Hamas until the militant group was completely eradicated.

Until now, Israel has only agreed to daily humanitarian pauses, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby revealed at a press briefing, hailing the development as “significant progress.” Kirby told reporters Thursday: “Israel will begin implementing four-hour pauses in northern Gaza each day, with three hours’ notice… The Israelis have informed us that there will be no military activity in these areas during the pause (and) this process will begin today.”

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the country is prepared to spend years searching for and eliminating all those involved in the October 7 attack on the Jewish state. "We will reach out to all those who have acted against Israeli citizens – anyone who has abducted and harmed women and children. We will reach out to all, whether it takes a week, a month, a year, or even years if necessary. We will not let anyone go; we will eliminate them all; they have no place in the sun. There will be no compromise with those who have harmed and murdered our citizens," he said at a press conference.

In a commentary, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that both Israelis and Palestinians need new leadership if they want to make peace. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economic Forum in Singapore, she said: “Hamas is not a partner for any form of peace or a two-state solution.” She added that peace could be achieved by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and whoever is responsible for Gaza after the war with Israel.

When asked about the possibility of Prime Minister Netanyahu negotiating a two-state solution, Clinton replied, “I don’t think there’s any evidence of that. I think the Israeli people will have to decide about his leadership.” Clinton also commented on the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza, suggesting it would “freeze the situation in a way that benefits Hamas” and therefore would be unlikely to be accepted by Israel. She added that Prime Minister Netanyahu might be willing to accept a “humanitarian pause” so that aid could reach civilians in Gaza and Hamas could release hostages taken in the October 7 attack. According to Clinton, it would be a “challenge” for President Biden to persuade Congress to approve a funding package for both Israel and Ukraine, but it could be achieved through “difficult negotiations.”