Israel has agreed to humanitarian "pauses" in its offensive on Hamas in Gaza after pressure from the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

Biden said they were a "step in the right direction" that would help civilians flee the fighting and get more aid into stricken areas.

The White House said there would be daily, four-hour pauses in northern Gaza, with warning given three hours beforehand. 

Biden has been pushing 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.

"For weeks, I've been speaking with Israel's leaders about the importance of humanitarian pauses," Biden said on X, formerly Twitter.

"As of today, there will be two humanitarian passages that will allow people to flee hostile areas in Gaza. And they've already enabled thousands to reach safety."

He added: "These pauses will help get civilians to safer areas away from active fighting. They are a step in the right direction."

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had previously confirmed that there would be humanitarian pauses and corridors for civilians out of Gaza.

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

A senior US administration official said a deal for the measures was sealed during a visit to Israel by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, followed by days of sorting out details. 

But Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht appeared to downplay the pauses.

"It's not a shift," he told reporters. "These are tactical local pauses for humanitarian aid, which are limited in time and area."

'No possibility'