Israel Prepares to Assault Rafah, Seeking Hamas' Remaining Battalions Among Scores of Refugees
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Israel launched airstrikes targeting Hamas in the city of Rafah — on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt — despite warnings from the Biden administration and others against hitting the densely-populated refugee destination.
For Context: Previous fighting in population centers like Gaza City and Khan Younis led hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees to flee south, often arriving in Rafah. Deaths reported by the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry reportedly neared 28,000 on Friday.
The Details: The Israeli strikes hit various locations in Rafah, including two residential buildings. Israel also launched airstrikes in central Gaza, reportedly killing 22. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to develop a plan to evacuate civilians in Rafah ahead of a “massive operation” to eliminate Hamas’ four remaining battalions in the area.
How the Media Covered It: Some coverage echoed past divides in describing Gaza and Palestinians; while CBN (Right bias) called Rafah “Hamas’ last remaining stronghold” and framed the Biden administration as standing in the way of defeating Hamas, the Associated Press (Lean Left bias) featured quotes from refugees who had taken shelter in Rafah, noting sidewalks “clogged with tents full of families” and framing Israel as “shrugging off its previous calls to reduce civilian casualties.”
This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.
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