Via Wikimedia Commons (An aerial view showing destruction in Rafah after Israeli forces withdrawal and as the ceasefire took hold, Gaza Strip)

Rafah

Arcs in and about Rafah from the outlets we track, each followed from its first story to its last, with who covered it.

Place · 232 stories · 1,945 articles · earliest story we hold Oct 14, 2023

Right nowactive arcs, newest development first

All arcs5 named arcs in 2024

Year: changes this list, the board and the stories below.

2026202520242023

Gone quiet · 5

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every arc in 2024 at its own dates · opens on month
Jan 1 – Dec 31, 20241 arc shown · 4 more this year
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  • Who covered it: left, center, right
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The Israel-Hamas war: Israel's offensives in Gaza and the civilian toll

138 of 335 stories this year · 35 about Rafah · gone quiet

Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza in a possible precursor to a scaled-back offensive · 95 articles, Jan 1Israel signals it has wrapped up major combat in northern Gaza as the war enters its fourth month - The Daily Reporter · 22 articles, Jan 7The son of veteran correspondent is the fifth member of his family killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza · 21 articles, Jan 7Palestinians flee from central Gaza's main hospital as fighting draws closer and aid groups withdraw · 12 articles, Jan 8Israel says war to wind down in southern Gaza as toll tops 24,000 · 19 articles, Jan 10More than 30 Palestinians reported killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip · 19 articles, Jan 12In 100 days, the Israel-Hamas war has transformed the region. The fighting shows no signs of ending · 17 articles, Jan 13Israel-Hamas war: 12 now dead, dozens injured at UN shelter – DW · 24 articles, Jan 18Women and children are the main victims of the Israel-Hamas war, UN says · 9 articles, Jan 20Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 25,000 with no end in sight to Israel-Hamas war · 63 articles, Jan 2121 Israeli troops are killed in the deadliest attack on the military since the Gaza offensive began · 80 articles, Jan 23Heavy fighting in Gaza's second-largest city leaves hundreds of patients stranded in main hospital · 32 articles, Jan 24Airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in southern Gaza as Israel presses on with its war against Hamas · 25 articles, Jan 26Israel military operation destroys a Gaza cemetery. Israel says Hamas used the site to hide a tunnel · 21 articles, Jan 29Israel floods Hamas tunnels as UN pleads for aid funding · 12 articles, Jan 30Analysis shows destruction and possible buffer zone along Gaza Strip's border with Israel · 8 articles, Feb 1Hamas deploys police, distributes funds in sign of resurgence in Gaza areas Israeli troops have left · 13 articles, Feb 3Hamas shows signs of resurgence in parts of Gaza where Israeli troops largely withdrew weeks ago · 14 articles, Feb 3Israel's next target in Gaza war is likely Rafah. Terrified people say there's nowhere left to go · 5 articles, Feb 6🔴 Live: Israel’s evacuation orders of Gaza cover two-thirds of territory, UN says · 10 articles, Feb 6Israeli Airstrikes Kill Dozens in Rafah · 51 articles, Feb 8Why Rafah Is Raising Fears in Israel’s War With Hamas · 34 articles, Feb 8Israeli bombs target Gaza's crowded Rafah as the US warns Israel against sending troops there · 37 articles, Feb 8Israel plans to evacuate Palestinians crammed into southern Gaza city ahead of expected invasion · 35 articles, Feb 9Six-year-old Gaza girl found dead, family says, blaming Israel · 15 articles, Feb 10'They are shooting at us.' A fleeing Gaza family is killed along with the medics sent to find them · 16 articles, Feb 10Displaced Palestinians leave one of Gaza’s main hospitals after weeks of being isolated by fighting · 30 articles, Feb 14Israeli forces storm the main hospital in southern Gaza, saying hostages were likely held there · 33 articles, Feb 14Israel strikes Gaza's Rafah as truce talks under way · 26 articles, Feb 154 patients die as oxygen runs out in Gaza hospital seized by Israeli forces, health officials say · 21 articles, Feb 16Israel vows to ‘finish the job’ in Gaza as War Cabinet member threatens a Ramadan deadline for Rafah · 10 articles, Feb 18Israeli minister says ground offensive in Rafah will begin by Ramadan if hostages aren’t returned · 5 articles, Feb 18Israel strikes across Gaza as US says it will block another cease-fire resolution at UN · 29 articles, Feb 18Gaza’s Nasser hospital’s doctors forced to strip in cold, witness says, as IDF announces arrest of Hamas militants there · 6 articles, Feb 19More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel-Hamas war, Gaza Health Ministry says · 38 articles, Feb 19UN agencies warn of 'explosion' in Gaza child deaths · 6 articles, Feb 20Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 48 as fears mount over humanitarian crisis and West Bank violence · 30 articles, Feb 21Israel says it plans to direct Palestinians out of Rafah ahead of anticipated offensive · 11 articles, Mar 13Heavy fighting rages around Gaza's biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second day · 66 articles, Mar 18Israeli forces surround two more Gaza hospitals, Palestinian Red Crescent says · 7 articles, Mar 24Palestinians describe heavy destruction, forced marches in ongoing Israeli raid around Gaza hospital · 32 articles, Mar 24An Israeli airstrike hits a Gaza hospital tent camp, killing 2 Palestinians and hurting journalists · 15 articles, Mar 31US and Israeli officials hold virtual talks on their dispute over a Rafah military operation · 13 articles, Apr 1Israeli troops withdraw from Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest, after 2-week raid · 59 articles, Apr 1Israel is using artificial intelligence to help pick bombing targets in Gaza, report says · 13 articles, Apr 3Israel is pulling some troops from southern Gaza. Now the plan is to clear Hamas from Rafah · 44 articles, Apr 7Palestinians returning to Khan Younis after Israeli withdrawal find an unrecognizable city · 33 articles, Apr 8Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion, which U.S. says would be a mistake · 25 articles, Apr 8Israeli airstrike kills 3 sons of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh: IDF · 72 articles, Apr 10Israeli military renews warnings to Palestinians not to return to war-torn northern Gaza · 13 articles, Apr 15Israeli strikes on southern Gaza city of Rafah kill 22, mostly children, as US advances aid package · 46 articles, Apr 20Israeli airstrikes in Rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden · 38 articles, Apr 20A Palestinian baby in Gaza is born an orphan in an urgent cesarean section after an Israeli strike · 13 articles, Apr 21Premature baby girl rescued from her dead mother's womb dies in Gaza after 5 days in an incubator · 19 articles, Apr 22Truth or Fake - What we know about the mass graves found at Gaza hospitals · 32 articles, Apr 22The Latest | Tent compound rises in Khan Younis as Israel prepares for Rafah offensive · 10 articles, Apr 23‘My whole family has perished:’ 20 dead after Israeli airstrike on Rafah, hospital staff say · 6 articles, Apr 29Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without a deal' as cease-fire talks with Hamas continue · 34 articles, Apr 30It would take until 2040 to rebuild all homes destroyed so far in Gaza, UN report says · 8 articles, May 2Joe Biden speaks with Netanyahu as Israeli invasion of Rafah appears imminent · 24 articles, May 6Israeli army tells Palestinians to temporarily evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of an expected assault · 37 articles, May 6More than half a million people flee fighting in Rafah and northern Gaza, U.N. says · 26 articles, May 10Israel orders new evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as it prepares to expand operations · 41 articles, May 11Israel moves deeper into Rafah and fights Hamas militants regrouping in northern Gaza · 43 articles, May 12UN says total number of deaths in Gaza remains unchanged after controversy over revised data · 18 articles, May 13Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza · 11 articles, May 15An airstrike kills 20 in central Gaza and fighting rages as Israel's leaders air wartime divisions · 39 articles, May 19Israeli Officials Seize AP Equipment and Take Down Live Shot of Northern Gaza, Citing New Media Law · 33 articles, May 21Medics say new Israeli strikes kill 16 in Rafah as residents report an escalation in fighting · 55 articles, May 23Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months · 27 articles, May 26Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 12 Palestinians, Gaza medics say · 54 articles, May 26Egyptian security killed in Rafah border shooting, Israel and Egypt investigating · 8 articles, May 27Netanyahu Says Deadly Israeli Strike in Rafah Was the Result of a 'Tragic Mishap' · 39 articles, May 27Israel confirms its forces are in central Rafah, defying international condemnation of operation in southern Gazan city · 46 articles, May 28Israeli army says it used small munitions in Rafah airstrike, and fire was caused by secondary blast · 8 articles, May 28Israel says it’s taken control of key area of Gaza’s border with Egypt awash in smuggling tunnels · 19 articles, May 29Israeli strikes kill 11 overnight in Gaza, including a family of 3 at a refugee camp · 11 articles, May 31Israeli strike kills at least 33 people at a Gaza school the military claims was being used by Hamas · 83 articles, Jun 6The U.N. will declare that Israel and Hamas are violating children's rights in armed conflict · 18 articles, Jun 7Women and children of Gaza are killed less frequently as war’s toll rises, AP data analysis finds · 35 articles, Jun 78 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza · 41 articles, Jun 13Israeli strikes on tent camps near Rafah kill at least 25 and wound 50, officials say · 23 articles, Jun 15The war in Gaza has wiped out entire Palestinian families. AP documents 60 who lost dozens or more · 15 articles, Jun 17At least 39 people killed in Israeli strikes across northern Gaza, officials say · 40 articles, Jun 21Netanyahu says intense phase of Hamas war about to end · 29 articles, Jun 23Renewed Israeli orders to evacuate Khan Younis signal likely attack on Gazan city · 10 articles, Jul 1Israel releases director of hospital it says was used as a Hamas base. He alleges abuse in custody · 32 articles, Jul 1Israeli attack kills at least 16 at UNWRA school for the displaced in Gaza, ministry says · 15 articles, Jul 6Rafah is a dusty, rubble-strewn ghost town 2 months after Israel invaded to root out Hamas · 20 articles, Jul 7Israeli military orders the evacuation of Gaza City, an early target of its war with Hamas · 28 articles, Jul 8Israel orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone · 42 articles, Jul 22Wounded in a strike that killed her family, a 2-year-old joins Gaza's ranks of thousands of orphans · 10 articles, Jul 26An Israeli airstrike hits a school sheltering people in Gaza, killing at least 30 including children · 40 articles, Jul 27Israel orders the evacuation of an area designated as a humanitarian zone in Gaza · 17 articles, Jul 27Iran says a short-range projectile killed Hamas' Haniyeh and reiterates vows of retaliation · 17 articles, Jul 31Al Jazeera journalists killed in reported Israeli airstrike in Gaza, network says · 14 articles, Jul 31Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by bomb planted months before blast · 151 articles, Jul 31Israel says it has confirmed that chief of Hamas’ military wing was killed in a July strike · 54 articles, Aug 1Iran’s supreme leader prays over the coffin of Hamas leader Haniyeh, whose killing risks a wider war · 16 articles, Aug 1Mourners bury Hamas chief Haniyeh in Qatar as more escalation looms over the Middle East · 28 articles, Aug 1Strikes on Gaza kill 12 and stabbing in Israel kills 2 as fears of wider war spike · 26 articles, Aug 3Israeli strike kills nearly 100 in Gaza school refuge, civil defense officials say · 98 articles, Aug 4Israel-Hamas war latest: Hamas chooses Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar as their new leader · 50 articles, Aug 7Israel widens evacuation orders in southern Gaza. Hamas wants plans for a deal instead of more talks · 40 articles, Aug 8Newborn twins killed in Gaza strike while father registered birth · 16 articles, Aug 13More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in 10 months of war in Gaza, health ministry says · 28 articles, Aug 15Palestinian militants claim Tel Aviv bombing, threaten more attacks · 13 articles, Aug 19Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 18, including 8 children, Palestinians say · 13 articles, Aug 22Hospital in central Gaza empties out as Israeli forces draw near · 19 articles, Aug 26Israeli strike on Gaza humanitarian zone kills dozens · 66 articles, Sep 7Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli airstrikes kill 16 in Gaza, including 4 children, Palestinians say · 42 articles, Sep 10The U.N. says 6 staff were killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza school · 22 articles, Sep 11An Israeli strike on a school kills at least 22 people, Gaza Health Ministry says · 31 articles, Sep 21Palestinian officials say 32 killed in Israeli strikes on southern Gaza · 21 articles, Oct 2Takeaways from AP's report on the destruction in Gaza a year into the war · 14 articles, Oct 3Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack · 77 articles, Oct 6Israeli strike on school-turned-shelter in Gaza kills 27 · 23 articles, Oct 6Strike on mosque kills 19 as Israel bombards northern Gaza and southern Lebanon · 33 articles, Oct 6Middle East latest: Palestinian militants in Gaza fire 4 rockets into Israel as mourners mark Oct 7 · 12 articles, Oct 7Israeli offensive in hard-hit northern Gaza kills dozens and threatens hospitals · 9 articles, Oct 9Heavy Israeli bombardment in northern Gaza as UN peacekeepers in Lebanon are hit again · 14 articles, Oct 12Israel and Hamas signal they are no closer to ending Gaza war after Sinwar’s death · 164 articles, Oct 17Israel kills Hamas chief and alleged Oct. 7 mastermind · 28 articles, Oct 17Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants · 16 articles, Oct 23Israeli strikes in northern Gaza kill at least 88, officials say · 50 articles, Oct 24Israeli airstrike kills 20 people in northern Gaza, Palestinian officials say · 21 articles, Oct 29Israeli strikes kill dozens in Lebanon and isolated northern Gaza while Netanyahu and Trump speak · 11 articles, Nov 7Around 70% of deaths in Gaza are women and children, says UN · 14 articles, Nov 8Israeli strikes kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza, medical officials say · 57 articles, Nov 9Israeli strike in Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, while a strike in Gaza kills at least 30 · 79 articles, Nov 12Death toll in Gaza from Israel-Hamas war passes 44,000, Palestinian officials say · 12 articles, Nov 21Israeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says · 14 articles, Nov 28Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes kill 28 in Gaza; U.S. officials discuss Syria · 48 articles, Dec 5Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 28 · 33 articles, Dec 15Death toll in Gaza Strip from Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000, Palestinians say · 23 articles, Dec 16Israeli strike kills five journalists in Gaza, hospital says · 30 articles, Dec 23Gaza hospital shut after Israeli raid, director held: health officials · 40 articles, Dec 24Israel detains hospital director in northern Gaza · 31 articles, Dec 28
The Israel-Hamas war: the hostages and the cease-fire talks, 2023-2025 · Oct 7, 2023 – Oct 7, 2025The Israel-Hamas war: US backing for Israel and the pressure over its conduct · Oct 7, 2023 – Sep 26, 2025The Israel-Hamas war: hunger, famine and the fight over aid to Gaza · Oct 9, 2023 – Jul 24, 2026The Israel-Hamas war: international legal cases and war-crimes allegations · Oct 15, 2023 – Jun 24, 2026

Coverage over timeindependent sources per week, by side, every year we hold

20231433 articles20245403 articles20251141 articles2026126 articles

Earlier years are still being indexed.

Oct 2023Mar 2024Sep 2024Mar 2025Aug 2025Feb 2026

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Oct 9, 202328118
Oct 16, 202328458317
Oct 23, 202312239132
Oct 30, 2023185013326
Nov 6, 2023817755
Nov 13, 2023710164
Nov 20, 2023203810203
Nov 27, 202334224
Dec 4, 2023611277
Dec 25, 202337227
Jan 1, 20241305
Jan 8, 202416264134
Jan 15, 202423130
Jan 29, 20241319
Feb 5, 2024285113286
Feb 12, 2024314519335
Feb 19, 2024243611201
Feb 26, 202478234
Mar 4, 202437330
Mar 11, 202414238114
Mar 18, 2024243911257
Mar 25, 20249141055
Apr 1, 202467554
Apr 8, 2024152812150
Apr 15, 202422196116
Apr 22, 202418438297
Apr 29, 2024176616323
May 6, 2024298624656
May 13, 2024276318369
May 20, 2024162914150
May 27, 2024357018446
Jun 3, 2024981037
Jun 10, 202411259129
Jun 17, 20241315377
Jun 24, 20241015271
Jul 1, 202422120
Jul 15, 202434013
Jul 22, 202445240
Aug 19, 202426111
Aug 26, 2024153212140
Sep 2, 2024512665
Oct 14, 2024182419160
Nov 11, 20240023
Nov 18, 20241319
Jan 6, 202548743
Jan 13, 20250011
Jan 20, 20254309
Jan 27, 202513201094
Feb 3, 2025202919200
Feb 10, 202525317
Feb 17, 2025114248
Mar 17, 20251018777
Mar 24, 202524416
Mar 31, 2025817670
Apr 7, 2025612346
Apr 14, 20250317
May 26, 2025312340
Jun 2, 2025813141
Jun 9, 202576425
Jul 7, 202569129
Jul 14, 202515110
Jul 28, 202548337
Aug 18, 2025715243
Oct 13, 2025417961
Oct 20, 202547315
Oct 27, 202549628
Dec 1, 20250317
Dec 29, 20251306
Jan 26, 2026511434
Feb 2, 2026811352

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

Everything else44 stories in 2024 not part of any arc, newest first

Stories about Rafah that are not part of any arc yet

  1. Nov 17– 19Emotional Nadal retires after Davis Cup loss, Spain’s exit12 articles · 7 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 3 right
  2. Jun 13Battles rage in Rafah after US says Gaza truce still possible6 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right
  3. May 30– 31Biden to address situation in Middle East as Israel confirms its forces have entered central Rafah8 articles · 5 independent sources
    2 left, 3 center, 0 right
  4. May 29Israel says war on Gaza likely to last another seven months6 articles · 6 independent sources
    2 left, 2 center, 1 right
  5. May 29Algeria proposes Security Council resolution demanding Israel halt offensive in Rafah8 articles · 8 independent sources
    2 left, 1 center, 0 right
  6. May 29– 30Israel in effective control of entire Gaza land border after taking Philadelphi Corridor in south5 articles · 5 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 3 right
  7. May 293 Israeli soldiers killed in a booby trap explosion as Rafah offensive widens8 articles · 7 independent sources
    0 left, 3 center, 2 right
  8. May 29– 30'All eyes on Rafah' image shared 44 mn times online18 articles · 12 independent sources
    5 left, 3 center, 1 right
  9. May 28Israeli tanks reach centre of Rafah as Security Council to discuss camp blaze6 articles · 6 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 2 right
  10. May 16– 17Israel to hit back at 'genocide' claims at UN top court20 articles · 10 independent sources
    0 left, 4 center, 1 right

Stories that name Rafah

  1. Jun 12– 14Muslims start the Hajj against the backdrop of the destructive Israel-Hamas war29 articles · 19 independent sources
    2 left, 5 center, 1 right
  2. Jun 8– 9Gaza war protesters slam Biden in 'red line' rally at White House9 articles · 9 independent sources
    2 left, 3 center, 2 right
  3. Jun 2The Israeli army says it investigates itself. Where do those investigations stand?21 articles · 14 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 1 right
  4. May 28– 30Nikki Haley Visits Israel And Writes 'Finish Them!' On An Artillery Shell16 articles · 14 independent sources
    6 left, 2 center, 2 right
  5. May 27– 28Spain, Norway recognise Palestinian state, Ireland next37 articles · 30 independent sources
    3 left, 12 center, 4 right
  6. May 27EU, Israel in war of words as ties nosedive ahead of Spain, Ireland recognizing Palestinian state9 articles · 9 independent sources
    0 left, 3 center, 2 right
  7. May 16– 17House votes to require delivery of bombs to Israel in GOP-led rebuke of Biden policies22 articles · 17 independent sources
    1 left, 4 center, 3 right
  8. May 15Biden administration is sending $1 billion more in weapons, ammo to Israel, congressional aides say50 articles · 36 independent sources
    8 left, 12 center, 2 right
  9. May 13– 17House passes bill to prevent Biden from withholding weapons to Israel as GOP ramps up pressure on Democrats15 articles · 14 independent sources
    2 left, 4 center, 5 right
  10. May 12– 13Blinken delivers strong US public criticism of Israel31 articles · 24 independent sources
    5 left, 4 center, 5 right
Rafah · Throughline | Slantwise