Israeli forces stepped up air strikes on Gaza’s far-southern Rafah on Thursday as fears of ground fighting grew among the more than one million Palestinians crowded into the city. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Israel without securing a pause in the conflict, wrapping up his fifth crisis tour of the Middle East since the war started. Israel’s military offensive has raged on despite international efforts towards a ceasefire in the bloodiest ever Gaza war since October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered troops to “prepare to operate” in Rafah, after rejec…