It’s not enough to stop an Israeli invasion of Rafah. We need a ceasefire now | Moustafa Bayoumi

Thinking of Rafah as a final red line' is a mistake' - the situation in Gaza is already beyond the bitter edges of human cruelty

Is an Israeli invasion of Gaza's southern city of Rafah about to commence? Perhaps. On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, proclaimed that Israel had set a date to invade the city, where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge from six months of relentless bombing and incalculable destruction.

Leaks to the Israeli media are also pointing ominously to an Israeli government procurement of 40,000 12-person tents, suggesting a repugnant plan of further displacing almost half a million Palestinians, this time into government-issued tents that will probably be plopped down in the middle of nowhere.

Moustafa Bayoumi is a Guardian US columnist