Rafah is one of the largest cities in the Gaza Strip, located on its far southern end on the border with Egypt.
The city is the site of the Rafah border crossing, the only entry and exit point out of Gaza and into Egypt, compared to the other border crossings that go into Israel.
Rafah is partially divided, with part of the city being located on the Egyptian side of the border. A network of smuggling tunnels run beneath the city and crossing in an attempt to circumvent the blockade around Gaza.
Former IDF Maj.-Gen. Yaakov Amidror discussed the prisoner exchange and ceasefire dilemma, including Itamar Ben-Gvir's ultimatum to PM Netanyahu
Avi Issacharoff from Yediot Aharonot discussed the IDF's decision to go through with either a prisoner swap with Hamas or a military operation in Rafah.
Burns’s emergency meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani in Doha is “aimed at exerting maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiating," an official briefed on the talks.
The threats joined similar comments made during the past week, and indicate mounting public pressure amongst Israel's right-wing to stop negotiating with Hamas to release the Israeli hostages.
Sunday's march followed a similar protest led by the Valor Forum Saturday night, following Saturday's reports that Hamas will likely accept a hostage deal in the coming days.
Parents of combat soldiers issued a letter stating their concern for IDF ground operations in Rafah, referring to dangerous traps and preparation Hamas has made.
Numerous sources have spoken about the ongoing hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, following a string of failed negotiations and interventions by Egypt and Qatar.
“I think that the Israeli leaders understand well President [Joe] Biden’s view about a Rafah operation,” US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said.
Israel Ziv claims that not only is there no strategic importance to the operation in Rafah, but it also has no security significance or international credit for Israel.
US vascular surgeon Shariq Sayeed describes the dire situation in Gaza, where young patients face amputations due to shrapnel wounds and overwhelmingly low medical resources.
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