Rafah offensive

The Rafah offensive was an Israeli military offensive in and around the city of Rafah, beginning on 6 May 2024 as part of Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war. The operation focused on the Rafah Governorate along the Egypt–Gaza border, with Israeli officials saying the goals were to defeat remaining Hamas forces in the area and to secure the border corridor and the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The operation began as ceasefire negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar failed. Israeli forces carried out airstrikes, entered the outskirts of Rafah, and seized the Rafah crossing, later moving into populated neighbourhoods. Fighting and security concerns also led to temporary closures of the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On 19 January 2025, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, and the IDF withdrew from some parts of Rafah. On the night of 18 March 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip, breaking the ceasefire. Israeli troops resumed ground operations in Rafah on 20 March 2025. In May 2025, the offensive formally ended, when Israel had established operational control over Rafah and the border zone.