Gaza City, Gaza - Israel has agreed to daily four-hour pauses in northern Gaza to let civilians flee, the White House said Thursday, even as President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire.

Biden has been pressing 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.

Israeli troops and Hamas are now locked in heavy, close-quarters fighting in Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip.

"Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day, with an announcement to be made three hours beforehand," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

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"We've been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause (and) that this process is starting today."

Fighting has raged since the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people, Israel has retaliated with an aerial bombing and ground offensive that has killed more than 10,500 people, with over 4,300 of them children.

International calls for a ceasefire have mounted, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights saying on Thursday that both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes. Biden, however, has ruled out a longer truce for now.

"None. No possibility," Biden, who is himself facing strong criticism for his stance, told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Illinois when asked about the chances of a ceasefire. He later confirmed that in a call with Netanyahu, he had "asked for a pause longer than three days".

The Israeli Prime Minister reportedly rejected a ceasefire that would have led to the release of dozens of Hamas hostages.