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Israel Ramps Up Strikes on Rafah
(Times of Israel) Israeli forces stepped up airstrikes on Rafah Thursday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to expand the military offensive into the city. Israeli planes bombed two houses, while tanks shelled some areas in eastern Rafah. More than half of Gaza's population has fled to Rafah, on the mostly sealed border with Egypt. An Israeli official said visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had expressed concern over Israel expanding the fighting to Rafah during talks with Netanyahu and the war cabinet. The official stressed that there would be "no compromise" on toppling Hamas militarily and politically, which would mean operating in Rafah. A second Israeli official said Thursday that the operation in Rafah will not be a large-scale assault like the current operation in Khan Yunis, but will instead be organized around targeted pinpoint raids.