This is a script for a segment that appeared on Velshi. You can watch it here. Because it was written to be spoken, it does not have formal grammar or style.

((ON CAM))

You might have heard a lot recently about an Israeli military ground assault into Rafah — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been mulling it for months, and the international community has warned against it for just as long — which is why the story of how we got here is very, very complicated.   

We're going to walk through it together.

((VO FULL))

Before October 7th — and the war that followed — around 275,000 people lived in the city of Rafah. 

But, like everything in Gaza, it's geographically pretty small.

At 25 square miles, Rafah is roughly the size of Newark, New Jersey or Arlington, Virginia.  

((ON CAM))

Since October 7th, Rafah has become central to many of our conversations around Israel’s War in Gaza, for more reasons than one: 

((FS FULL))

Rafah is situated on the Egyptian border — so, when Israel's assault on Gaza began, the Rafah border crossing was the only path for food, medical supplies and fuel to enter Gaza.

And for *some* wounded Palestinians and foreign citizens, it was a way out.

((ON CAM))

More than 1 million Palestinians in Gaza have fled south to Rafah after being warned to go there by the Israeli government to avoid being attacked.

And now, the Israeli government plans to attack the very place it told Palestinians they would be safe.

Let's take a look at how this all happened:

((ALI WALKS TO SW WALL))

((SW WALL TIMELINE))

(T) On October 7th, Hamas infiltrated Israel’s borders, and killed 1,200 Israelis and took about 240 hostages. 

By our latest count, 121 hostages still remain in Gaza.

(T) By October 13th, Israel was preparing its large-scale military response: invade Gaza, eliminate Hamas, and rescue the hostages. 

Israeli military planes distributed leaflets above Gaza City in the north with the message: move *SOUTH* for your own safety. 

Many Palestinians sought refuge in the city of Khan Younis — one of the largest cities in southern Gaza.

The IDF then bombarded Gaza City, levelling its buildings and killing hundreds of civilians.

But, over the next several weeks the Israeli military also moved south, towards Khan Younis.

(T) On December 1st, the IDF began its assault on Khan Younis.

On December 2nd, and Israeli defense Forces spokesperson posted on X, urging Palestinians to 

((FS FULL)) 

“go to the known shelter centers in Rafah,” for their safety. 

That was the first time — to our knowledge — that Israel told Palestinians to seek safety *specifically* in Rafah. 

((ON CAM))

(T) By February, Netanyahu ordered the military to begin planning an offensive in Rafah — which he said was necessary to eliminate Hamas and free the remaining hostages.

President Biden urged him not to, and did so again during a phone call in March. 

At this point, 30,000 people had been killed in Gaza.

(T) On April 9th, Israeli forces withdrew from Khan Younis. 

Some Palestinians left Rafah to return to Khan Younis but found only rubble, save for some unexploded munitions. 

So they returned to Rafah.

At this point, 1.4 million people — half of Gaza’s population — were sheltering in Rafah.

(T) Then, On May 6th, leaflets were dropped over Rafah urging civilians to evacuate. 

Within hours, Israel began launching strikes towards eastern Rafah, where it said Hamas was hiding out.

(T) Two days later, on May 8th, the Biden Administration paused a shipment of weapons meant for Israel over its concerns regarding Rafah.

(T) Which brings us to last week, on May 26th when an Israeli airstrike triggered a fire that killed 45 people sheltering in tents in Rafah.

Netanyahu described the strike as a tragic mishap, according to NBC News' translation. 

Although the prime minister's office insisted afterward that he said it was a tragic "incident."

((PAUSE))

Analysis from both The New York Times and The Washington Post found that munition debris filmed at the scene of this attack was designed and manufactured in the United States.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US could not confirm which weapons were used or how they were used in the strike.

((PAUSE))

Let me leave you with a couple more dates, if I may.

On March 10th, President Biden said, right here on MSNBC, that an invasion of Rafah would be a red line.

This week on May 29th — three days after the Israeli airstrike sparked that fire which killed dozens of Palestinians at a camp in Rafah — The Biden administration said those very actions did *not* cross the President’s red line.

—----------------

GRAPHIC

BIG TITLE:

((FROM LEFT TO RIGHT))

OCT. 7, 2023

[OCT. 7 PIC]

HAMAS ATTACKS ISRAEL

OCT. 13, 2023

[LEAFLETS PIC]

IDF DROPS LEAFLETS OVER GAZA CITY

DEC. 2, 2023

[KHAN YOUNIS BATTLE PIC]

IDF ISSUES EVACUATION ORDERS FOR KHAN YOUNIS

APR. 8, 2024

[NETANYAHU PIC]

NETANYAHU SETS DATE FOR RAFAH OFFENSIVE

APR. 9, 2024

[LEVELED KHAN YOUNIS PIC]

IDF WITHDRAWS FROM KHAN YOUNIS

APR. 26, 2024

[SATELLITE IMAGES]

MORE TENTS BUILT IN RAFAH

MAY 6, 2024

[RAFAH LEAFLETS]

IDF DROPS LEAFLETS OVER RAFAH

MAY 8, 2024

[BIDEN]

U.S. PAUSES BOMB SHIPMENT TO ISRAEL

MAY 26, 2024

[REFUGEE CAMP FIRE]

45 KILLED IN STRIKE ON RAFAH DISPLACED CAMP