Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza and patient crossings at Rafah halted, Palestinian officials say

Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes have killed 18 people, including four children, in Gaza and Israel has halted the evacuation of patients through the Rafah border crossing, Palestinian officials have said. 

 The Israeli military said it fired on Gaza after a gunman shot at Israeli soldiers and seriously injured a reservist...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/04/israeli-strikes-gaza-patient-crossings-rafah-halted

 

U.S. delays arms shipments to Israel amid Rafah tensions - The Washington Post

One U.S. official described the move as a "shot across the bow" intended to underscore the seriousness of Washington's concerns about the looming offensive...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/05/07/biden-delays-weapons-israel-rafah/

Netanyahu says ‘no way’ to eliminate Hamas without Rafah operation - The Washington Post

In the call Monday, Biden said that any effort to "smash" into Rafah would be a mistake, and that Israel and the United States, it's principal military and diplomatic backer, had arrived at a "key strategic moment," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that day. 

Biden, Sullivan said, told Netanyahu that while he shared the goal of defeating Hamas, Israel needed to develop a "coherent and sustainable strategy to make that happen" without risking more civilian deaths and devastation in Gaza and the possibility of long-term peace…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/19/israel-gaza-ceasefire-qatar/

Biden presses Netanyahu on plans for hostage release, protecting civilians in Rafah - The Washington Post

How civilians would be spared from an Israeli offensive in the southernmost city in Gaza remains "a huge question," a senior administration official said…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/02/11/biden-netanyahu-call-rafah-hostages/