Rafah is one of the largest cities in the Gaza Strip, located on its far southern end on the border with Egypt.
The city is the site of the Rafah border crossing, the only entry and exit point out of Gaza and into Egypt, compared to the other border crossings that go into Israel.
Rafah is partially divided, with part of the city being located on the Egyptian side of the border. A network of smuggling tunnels run beneath the city and crossing in an attempt to circumvent the blockade around Gaza.
The IDF said that 100,000-150,000 Palestinian civilians would need to be evacuated from Jabalia for a large renewed operation there.
The White House said that it was watching "with concern," but the Israeli operations appeared to be localized around the shuttered Rafah crossing and did not reflect a large-scale invasion.
Yesterday, IDF tanks surrounded the eastern part of Rafah after they took over the main road that divides the city - according to residents of the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
The rocket fire, the first the city of Beersheba has seen in nearly five months, resulted in shrapnel hitting a playground, and the IDF responded by targeting terrorist launch sites in Rafah.
The White House clarifies its stance on Israel's Rafah operation, supporting targeting Hamas but urging precision to avoid humanitarian suffering.
There are more pro-Israel Jewish voters who would have voted for Biden than pro-Hamas voters who would have voted for Biden.
Jordan, which holds a peace treaty with Israel and shares Israel’s longest border, may be in a unique position to influence US policy on Israel.
In the area of the Rafah crossing, on the Palestinian side, troops of the 401st Brigade killed terrorists in close-quarter combat and via aircraft strikes.
Israelis know that withholding munitions to prevent the IDF from entering Rafah and recognizing a virtual Palestinian state will not end 76 years of Palestinian rejectionism.
Cameron was responding to a question on whether Britain would follow the US after it warned that it would withhold weapons from Israel in case of a major invasion of Rafah.
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