reuters.com

The Israeli military yesterday began its long-planned ground operation in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, where roughly half of the enclave's 2.3 million people have been sheltering (see photos).

Israel began striking targets in eastern Rafah less than 24 hours after warning roughly 100,000 residents in the area to evacuate. Israel believes Rafah, a city that sits on the shared border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, is the last Hamas stronghold. The US and other allies oppose Israel's ground offensive, partly due to the humanitarian crisis in the region.