Biden and Netanyahu to speak after Israel orders partial Rafah evacuation

President Joe Biden will speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, hours after Israel’s military announced a partial evacuation of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Israeli leaders have remained steadfast in their desire to conduct ground operations in Rafah to complete their north-to-south sweep of Gaza to defeat Hamas, but U.S. and world leaders have warned that doing so without properly accounting for the more than 1 million Palestinians who have sought refuge there could result in catastrophic civilian casualties.