Ashka Jhaveri, Alexandra Braverman, Annika Ganzeveld, Kathryn Tyson, Kelly Campa, Johanna Moore, and Brian Carter



May 14, 2024, 2:00 pm ET

Israeli forces expanded clearing operations on May 14 into areas of the Jabalia refugee camp that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had not previously cleared. Two IDF brigades advanced into the center of the Jabalia refugee camp. Israeli forces initially conducted clearing operations in Jabalia city and refugee camp in November 2023, but the IDF had not advanced into center of the camp before this operation.

The IDF 162nd Division continued its clearing operation in eastern Rafah and near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on May 14. The IDF Givati Brigade located weapons, killed Palestinian fighters, and directed Israeli airstrikes in eastern Rafah. The IDF 401st Armored Brigade engaged several Palestinian cells near the Rafah border crossing. Local Palestinians reported that Israeli forces are operating in several neighborhoods west of the Salah al Din Road in eastern Rafah. Several Palestinian militias rigged tunnels to explode to target Israeli forces and attacked Israeli forces in Rafah with small arms, improvised explosive devices, and mortars

Two unspecified senior Biden administration officials told CNN that the Biden administration assesses that Israel has amassed enough forces on the edge of Rafah city to conduct a full-scale military operation in the "coming days." Senior US officials are unsure if Israel has made the final decision to conduct such an operation. US President Joe Biden warned Israel on May 8 that the United States would withhold additional arms shipments if Israel proceeded with a major operation.

Key Takeaways:

• Northern Gaza Strip: Palestinian militias are sustaining a very high daily rate of attacks targeting Israeli forces in Jabalia. The IDF is currently conducting two re-clearing operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

• Southern Gaza Strip: Israeli operations continued in eastern Rafah and around the Rafah border crossing.

• Iran: Iranian media identified former Iranian Ambassador to Iraq and IRGC Quds Force Brig. Gen. Eraj Masjedi as the IRGC Quds Force coordination deputy for the first time on May 14. The coordination deputy is the third highest-ranking officer in the IRGC Quds Force.

• West Bank: Israeli civilians set fire to two humanitarian aid trucks bound for the Gaza Strip at a checkpoint between Israel and the West Bank.



• Lebanon: Lebanese Hezbollah fired several anti-tank guided missiles targeting an Israeli surveillance balloon and equipment associated with it in successive attacks.

Click here to read the full update.

ISW–CTP has launched an interactive map of Israeli ground operations to accompany our daily campaign assessments of the Israel–Hamas war. This product complements the daily static maps that ISW-CTP produces with high-fidelity and, where possible, street-level assessments of the war in Israel.

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