Thursday briefing: Inside Israel’s plans for Rafah – and the threat to refugees there

In today’s newsletter: As attacks intensify on what once the safest place for civilians in Gaza, what does it mean for the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the area?

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Good morning. Yesterday, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, issued a dire warning about the consequences of an Israeli ground assault on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city. “The scenario we have long dreaded is unravelling at alarming speed,” he said. Palestinian civilians trapped there, he added, are “staring death in the face”.

For more than a week, Israel has intensified its aerial attack on Rafah, saying that it is the last refuge of Hamas militants who have been driven out of the rest of Gaza. But hundreds of thousands of refugees have also fled to the area – and Israel is yet to set out a plan to keep them safe if it proceeds with a ground operation.

US news | At least one person was killed and 22 others injured, including eight children, in a shooting during a Super Bowl victory parade for the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. Hundreds of people who gathered to celebrate the Chiefs’ victory on Sunday over the San Francisco 49ers ran for shelter from the gunfire.

Antisemitism | The scale of the surge in antisemitism in the UK since Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October has been revealed, in data showing a 589% increase in the number of incidents compared with the same period in 2022.

Labour | Keir Starmer is facing a fresh test of his authority as MPs prepare to vote on a second parliamentary motion calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza next week. The party’s abstention on a similar vote in November triggered a huge split in the party and 10 frontbench resignations.

Security | The head of the US House intelligence committee, Mike Turner, has called for the Biden administration to declassify information on what he called a “serious national security threat”, later reported to involve Russian plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. The New York Times said US allies had been briefed on the intelligence, which was not deemed to represent an urgent threat.

Food | Bowls of pink-tinged rice are about to feature on sustainable food menus, according to researchers who created rice grains with beef and cow fat cells grown in them. It is hoped the rice, created using stem cells, will be a more affordable source of protein than traditional beef, with a smaller carbon footprint.