Jul 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday to encourage troops in their fight against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Palestinian enclave.
In a video released by his office in X, Netanyahu stressed that the Israeli army’s control of the Philadelphia corridor – a 14-kilometer-long strip of land that runs along the border – and Rafah is “essential for Israel’s security.”
The prime minister has insisted that Israel should remain in Rafah even if a ceasefire agreement is reached in Gaza with the aim of freeing the hostages held by Hamas in the enclave, The Times of Israel reported.
The offensive against Rafah included the capture of the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt on May 7, which led to the suspension of humanitarian operations. This has raised concerns about the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave after more than nine months of conflict.
The death toll from the Israeli military offensive against Gaza following the attacks carried out on October 7 by Hamas and other Palestinian factions against Israeli territory – which left 1,200 dead and 240 hostages – has exceeded the threshold of 38,800, Gazan authorities, controlled by the Islamist group, reported on Thursday.
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