Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu conducts inspection tour in Gaza Strip

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted an inspection tour in the Gaza Strip, his office said on Sunday.

The statement did not specify the location of the visit, but it is noted that the Israeli military had penetrated areas north, west, and south of the Gaza City, withdrawing from several unspecified locations before the temporary humanitarian pause began.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited in the Gaza Strip, where he received security briefings with commanders and soldiers and visited one of the tunnels that has been revealed,” said his office.

“We are here in the Gaza Strip with our heroic soldiers. We are making every effort to return our hostages, and in the end, we will return them all,” said Netanyahu.

“We are continuing until the end – until victory,” he pledged.

A four-day humanitarian pause, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

In the first two days of the humanitarian pause, Hamas and Israel exchanged 41 Israelis and foreigners for 78 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, a Palestinian resistance group.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala