Israel Gaza: Biden urges Israel to protect Rafah civilians
 https://yakihonne.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com/fa1c539b363afc2d145b95f42bf83a5defe69480b3a6270c58c6b1910945d05b/files/1707807334820-YAKIHONNES3.webp 
US President Joe Biden has said an Israeli offensive in Rafah "should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety" of more than one million Palestinians sheltering there.

He said many displaced people in the southern Gazan city were "exposed and vulnerable" and needed to be protected.

Rafah has come under heavy Israeli air strikes in recent days, with a number of casualties reported.

More than half of the Gaza Strip's population of 2.3 million is now crammed into the city on the border with Egypt, which was home to only 250,000 people before the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October.

Many of the displaced people are living in makeshift shelters or tents in squalid conditions, with scarce access to safe drinking water or food.