As Israel’s deadline approaches for the all-out military assault on the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, US president Joe Biden has sent his most senior Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, to Israel to urge restraint. Thus far, Netayahu has proved intransigent, insisting that Israel’s ground offensive will continue until the Israel Defense Forces have rooted out every last Hamas fighter from Gaza.

But there is a strong precedent for Israel responding positively to US pressure – and the long and close relationship between the two countries will also give the US a degree of leverage. Meanwhile, as the assault on Rafah grows ever nearer, Egypt is bracing for a potential influx of huge numbers of displaced Palestinians fleeing the violence.

We also explain the extraordinary furore surrounding the House of Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle this week. And for fans of stone age horror, here’s a review of Out of Darkness, a new movie that thankfully hasn’t resorted to fur bikinis when clothing its cast.

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