Israel plans ground attack on Rafah, defence minister says

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has expressed that Israel plans to expand its ground assault into Rafah. 

"The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organisation is disbanded, we will complete the mission there and continue to Rafah," Gallant said in a post on the social media platform X late on Thursday. "We will continue until the end, there is no other way."

The comments have spread fear amongst Palestinians in Rafah, where around 1.9 million Palestinians, who have been forcibly displaced from other areas, are crammed. 

Palestinians in Rafah have been forced to sleep in residential buildings or on the streets, as air strikes continue to target the area and surrounding areas.