What To Watch for As Israel Advances Into Rafah

Israel's threatened offensive into Rafah would end the current phase of the Gaza war, but unless it also reaches a diplomatic breakthrough with Hamas, the region will remain unstable and exposed to attacks by pro-Palestinian forces. Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas floundered again on Feb. 13, as delegations in Cairo failed to reach an agreement amid mounting signs that Israel is preparing a major, and possibly final, offensive in the Gaza Strip. Days earlier, on Feb. 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare evacuation plans for civilians ahead of a widely anticipated military offensive into the Gazan city of Rafah, which lies on the territory's southern border with Egypt and is the last major city in Gaza that remains under Hamas' control. The order was just one of many recent signs portending an imminent Israeli military offensive in Rafah. On Feb. 12,...