for such an operation. and to conduct such an operation right now with no planning and little thought in an area where there is a million people sheltering would be a disaster. israeli forces have continued their offensive against hamas in the southern gaza area and there s been reports of large explosions in rafah. people there said israeli missiles hit two houses, causing multiple casualties. aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if israel forces enter rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced palestinians have taken refuge. the us secretary of state antony blinken is returning to washington, 2a hours after the israeli prime minister said the war would continue until israel is completely victorious. benjamin netanyahu appeared to reject outright a response from hamas to a proposed cease fire plan, but secretary blinken believes there s still room for negotiation. let s hearfrom our middle east correspondent, nick beake. a senior palestinian official