What's happened
Israel has ordered new evacuations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, with tens of thousands of people forced to leave as the military prepares to expand its operations. The United Nations has warned of a potential surge in civilian deaths and a further humanitarian crisis in the region.
Why it matters
Israel's military operation in Gaza, particularly in Rafah, is escalating, with new evacuations ordered and a potential ground invasion looming. The situation has raised concerns about civilian casualties and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.
What the papers say
According to The Independent, Israel has ordered tens of thousands of people in Rafah to evacuate, while Al Jazeera reports that the Norwegian Refugee Council has condemned the evacuation order as potentially leading to the deadliest phase of the conflict. Politico highlights the warnings from world leaders, including Israel's allies, about the potential humanitarian disaster of an assault on Rafah.
How we got here
The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has been ongoing, with Israel declaring war on the militant group following an attack in October. The situation has led to a significant number of casualties and a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
Common question
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Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate, located 30 kilometers south of Gaza City. Rafah's population of 152,950 is overwhelmingly made up of former Palestinian refugees.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs, are an ethnonational group comprising the modern descendants of the peoples who have lived in Palestine continuously over the centuries and who today are largely culturally and
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.