Five months into the war, about half of Gaza's population has been squeezed into Rafah. The governorate was crowded before the war, but mass displacement has made it the site of a spiraling crisis.

Artist Emmalene Blake's mural on the wall of a Dublin pub became an iconic image of Gaza's grief. Then one day, she got an Instagram message from the Palestinian woman in the image.

The raid came a day after the army sought to evacuate thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Roughly 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah are bracing for a potential Israeli assault, but hoping for a diplomatic breakthrough as negotiators work to secure a cease-fire.

This is the first time Biden has publicly cautioned Israel against its planned operation in Rafah.

As aid trucks slowly make their way into Gaza, another gate at Rafah is for people departing the besieged territory — the only exit for those permitted to leave, including the critically wounded.

The Rafah border crossing, operated by Egyptian authorities, is the only Gaza crossing not directly controlled by Israel. Now it is the only entry point for aid and exit point for those able to leave.

Wounded people, along with about 500 foreign or dual nationals and aid workers are expected be allowed to leave Gaza and enter Egypt on Wednesday, according to officials in Gaza.

Many more truckloads of aid are waiting in Egypt. Hundreds of trapped Americans had come to the border, hoping the aid delivery could be chance to escape the violence. But none were allowed out.