Is an Israeli invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah about to commence? Perhaps. On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, proclaimed that Israel had set a date to invade the city, where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge from six months of relentless bombing and incalculable destruction.

Leaks to the Israeli media are also pointing ominously to an Israeli government procurement of 40,000 12-person tents, suggesting a repugnant plan of further displacing almost half a million Palestinians, this time into government-issued tents that will probably be plopped down in the middle of nowhere.

Then again, maybe the invasion won’t happen. According to CNN, senior officials in the Biden administration consider Netanyahu’s announcement to be bluster. At a press conference on Tuesday, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, told reporters: “We do not have a date for any Rafah operation, at least one that’s been communicated to us by the Israelis.” He later added: “I don’t see anything imminent.”

There’s also Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, who on Monday reportedly told Lloyd Austin, the US defense secretary, that Israel was still putting together its plans for a potential offensive. He indicated to Austin that no date has been set for the invasion, according to multiple reports. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, also told reporters on Tuesday that if Netanyahu “has a date, he hasn’t shared it with us”.

So what’s going on here? For one thing, Netanyahu has announced authorizing the........

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