Middle East

CNN - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will push ahead with a military offensive in Rafah despite President Joe Biden's warning that doing so would be a "red line." Around 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering in the southern Gaza city and the vast majority are experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger. The United Nations aid chief has also warned that a ground invasion into Rafah could lead to "a slaughter." Netanyahu is still standing firm on sending his military into the region, though he did not provide specifics on a timeline. The Biden administration is not anticipating that Israeli forces will imminently expand their military operations into Rafah, as the holy month of Ramadan begins today for most Muslims.  

NPR - The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins today for many countries, without the Israel-Hamas cease-fire that U.S. officials and Arab mediators have been working on for weeks. NPR’s Aya Batrawy tells Up First that the main sticking point is the shape of the cease-fire itself: The U.S. backs a six-week humanitarian pause, while Hamas wants an end to the war. Israel agrees with the U.S., but also insists on a military operation into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, now home to more than one million displaced Palestinians lacking basic necessities. Batrawy says “the usual traditions of Ramadan are impossible in these conditions.” Over the weekend, a U.S. Army ship left for the eastern Mediterranean to help build a temporary aid port in Gaza — and Biden again warned Israel about civilian deaths there.