The US has long been Israel's most powerful ally and military backer, but officials in Washington are now raising serious concerns about its planned assault on the southern city of Rafah. Israel's military is soon expected to enter the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Rafah a stronghold for Hamas – which many states consider as a terrorist organization. But US officials say they cannot back any offensive in Rafah without careful consideration for the more than one million Palestinians taking refuge there.

The US president has also criticized Israel's campaign in Gaza.

For more on this, we talk to Frank Ledwidge. He's a senior lecturer in strategic studies at Portsmouth University and a former British military intelligence officer. He joins us from Oxford.

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