Palestinian children hold placards during a march demanding an end to the war and their right to live on Feb. 14, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.
or months, Israel’s staunchest allies in the U.S. and Europe had largely avoided using the C-word. To call for a ceasefire, they argued, would be to deny Israel its right to root out Hamas from Gaza in retaliation for its Oct. 7 massacre. But as the humanitarian situation in the Strip has deteriorated and as calls for an end to the hostilities have grown, pressure has mounted on Israel and its backers to change tack.
That the impending Israeli invasion of Rafah has animated such a response speaks to the concerns that many countries, international institutions, and humanitarian organizations have about what would happen if the offensive were to go ahead. Gaza’s southernmost city, which prior to Oct. 7 had a population of 280,000, has since absorbed some 1.4 million people, the vast majority of whom were displaced to the city from other parts of the Strip after beingfor their own safety.
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