What to Know About the Crisis in Rafah

The world's attention is on Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip. Israel is threatening to launch a ground invasion, while the US, the UN, and relief agencies warn the consequences would be catastrophic for refugees packed into the city with nowhere left to go. Coverage:

• Staggering numbers: Before the Israel-Hamas war began in October, Rafah had about 280,000 Palestinian residents. Today, roughly 1.3 million are crammed into its 23 square miles, mostly in makeshift tent camps, reports Time. Meaning, more than half of Gaza's pre-war population of 2.2 million is now in Rafah.

• The crisis: The situation in Rafah already is an indisputable "humanitarian disaster," one of the worst in years, reports the Wall Street Journal. Food and fresh water are scarce, and tents have become hot black-market commodities. Most people routinely go a full day without food, according to the World Food Program. Aid deliveries are severely restricted by the war and the closure of Gaza's borders.
• Israel's view: Israel calls Rafah the last bastion of Hamas and says a ground invasion is necessary to wipe out the group. Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his military to draw up evacuation plans before any assault, but international authorities say evacuation is impossible with so many people, reports the New York Times. Since the war began, Israel has told Gazans to keep moving south, and Rafah is essentially the last stop. The UN warns it won't help, stating it "will not be party to forced displacement of people."
• Biden vents: President Biden has grown increasingly exasperated with Netanyahu, who doesn't seem fazed by the growing international pressure to postpone a ground assault on the city, reports NBC News. The outlet says Biden has been venting about the Israeli leader in private for his refusal to agree to a ceasefire. In fact, it counts three separate instances of Biden referring to him as an "a--hole." US, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials were to meet again today in Cairo to discuss a possible truce, per Reuters.
• War crimes? The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court suggested Israel risked prosecution for war crimes should it invade. "All wars have rules and the laws applicable to armed conflict cannot be interpreted so as to render them hollow or devoid of meaning," tweeted Karim Khan, adding that "those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my Office takes action pursuant to its mandate."

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)