US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should not launch a military operation in Rafah. Biden also called for “urgent and specific” steps to bring humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.
More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled to Rafah to escape fighting elsewhere. The Israeli premier said there is “plenty of room north of Rafah for them to go.” The impasse between Israel and Egypt, both allies of the United States, comes as aid groups warn that an offensive could worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.