US rules out hope of reaching ceasefire in Gaza

"No. No chance," Biden told reporters outside the White House on November 9 local time, when asked about the possibility of a complete cessation of hostilities.

Speaking privately to reporters on the day he boarded Air Force One, President Biden revealed that he had pushed for a “pause” in fighting “for more than three days.” However, the US was unable to secure such a lengthy pause from Israel, which appears determined to continue the war with Hamas until the militant group is completely destroyed.

So far, Israel has only agreed to daily humanitarian pauses, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing, hailing the developments as “significant steps forward.” “Israel will begin implementing four-hour pauses in northern Gaza each day, with three hours’ notice,” Kirby told reporters on Thursday. “The Israelis have informed us that there will be no military activity in those areas during the pause (and) that process will begin today.”

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

In a comment, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that both Israelis and Palestinians need new leadership if they are to make peace with each other. “Hamas is not a partner for any form of peace or a two-state solution,” she said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore. 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.

Asked about Netanyahu's ability to negotiate a two-state solution, Clinton said: "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, saying it would "freeze the situation in favor of Hamas" and therefore unlikely to be accepted by Israel. She added that 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 "challenging" for President Biden to convince Congress to approve a funding package for both Israel and Ukraine, but it could be done with "tough negotiations."