Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah: Live updates

The besieged city in southern Gaza currently hosts 1.4 million Palestinians displaced from other parts of the enclave

Israeli tanks entered the city of Rafah in southern Gaza earlier this week, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting that the operation that had been delayed for several months was essential to secure “total victory” over the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

Rafah currently hosts some 1.4 million Palestinians displaced from other parts of Gaza as a result of Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives since October 7.

The UN warned that an Israeli invasion would be a “catastrophe” for civilians, while US President Joe Biden threatened to stop deliveries of “offensive” weapons to Israel in the event of a full-scale invasion of the city.

Netanyahu has been reluctant to give in to pressure from Washington, vowing that Israel would “fight with our fingernails” against Hamas if the flow of American arms comes to a halt.