Red Line Timeline

May 8, Netanyahu has threatened to invade Rafah - No military operations in Rafah without a credible plan to evacuate and protect civilians. [1]

May 16, two days after the IDF enters Eastern Rafah - No "major" military operations. [2]

May 20, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Israeli military operations. These are not considered "major" military operations. [3]

May 22, IDF says they have reached the outskirts of Rafah camp - Not "major" because the military operations do not go into "dense urban areas". A reminder, Rafah's population increased by around a million internally displaced people due to the war. It was all densely packed - with tents. [4]

May 28, tanks in downtown Rafah, air strikes hitting tents in designated safe zones west of the operations causing multiple massacres. The Tent Massacre is a "targeted and precise" attack that's justified because Kirby is a fucking racist genocidal ghoul. - Not a major operation - the standard is now "1000s and 1000s of troops moving in a maneuvered, concentrated, coordinated way against a variety of targets on the ground." [5]

[1]   I will say, however, we have been pretty clear about what we want to see when it comes to an operation in Rafah, and that’s that we don’t want to see one go forward. We do not believe Israel has presented a credible humanitarian plan that would account for both the potential harm to civilian life of an operation in such a crowded area or for properly evacuating and caring for the over a million people who are there. We just don’t believe it’s possible to move those people to other places inside Gaza, and we have not seen a plan to take care of them if they were moved to other places. And so that’s what we have made clear, is that we don’t support such an operation.

[2]   We have been very clear about our position on a major military operation in Rafah. While we, of course, support Israel’s right to defend itself, we believe a major military operation in Rafah would be a mistake. We have not seen that happen yet, but we’re very concerned about an expanded operation in Rafah and what it could do to contributing towards the worsening humanitarian crisis. So we’ve – are going to continue to engage with our partners in Israel on this, discuss with them alternatives and other avenues, and we’ll continue to have that conversation.

[3]   QUESTION: Okay. So let me ask you just one more question – there are many others that would like to ask many other questions. Let me ask you about Rafah. We – according to the UN, we have 900,000 people at city of Rafah – so they just fled. So, you were saying all along that unless Israel has a plan to relocate 1.4 million people, you are not going to agree to – but obviously the assault is full-foot now... 

       ANSWER: We have not yet seen Israel launch a major operation. 

[4]   What we have seen so far in terms of Israel’s military operations in that area has been more targeted and limited, has not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas. We now have to see what unfolds from here. We will watch that, we will consider that, and we will see whether what Israel has briefed us and what they have laid out continues or something else happens.

[5]   A major ground operation is you know, 1000s and 1000s of troops moving in a maneuvered, concentrated, coordinated way against a variety of targets on the ground.