Good morning. Yesterday, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, issued a dire warning about the consequences of an Israeli ground assault on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city. “The scenario we have long dreaded is unravelling at alarming speed,” he said. Palestinian civilians trapped there, he added, are “staring death in the face”.
For more than a week, Israel has intensified its aerial attack on Rafah, saying that it is the last refuge of Hamas militants who have been driven out of the rest of Gaza. But hundreds of thousands of refugees have also fled to the area – and Israel is yet to set out a plan to keep them safe if it proceeds with a ground operation.
