'Only military pressure will help us advance the hostage deal,' Netanyahu tells IDF soldiers in Rafah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a logistical and security briefing on Thursday in the southern town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu went up to a field observer position overlooking the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Egypt from Gaza, where he was briefed on the fighting in the area.

The prime minister then met and spoke with combat soldiers and support personnel from the Givati Brigade about their operational activity.

"I am here inside Rafah with the 162nd Division, their brave commander, Itzik Cohen, and the heroic soldiers," Netanyahu said.

"I was impressed by their incredible achievements, by the understanding that their operations both underground and aboveground are essential to the security of Israel, and by the understanding that our holding the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing are vital for the future," he continued.

Netanyahu spoke about the importance of military operations as a way to put pressure on Hamas to secure a hostage deal.

"At the same time, the military pressure that they are applying here, to the throat of Hamas, is helping us, together with the steadfast insistence on our just demands, to advance the hostage deal – including our demand to free the maximum number of hostages already in the first stage of the outline. This double pressure is not delaying the deal – it is advancing it," he said.

Netanyahu stated: "Next week, I am leaving for the U.S. to address both houses of Congress. I am going to present the justice of Israel's cause, but I am also going to present the heroism of Israel, which I see here. I see here Matan Algerbali, a commander who was wounded in the stomach in the first days of the fighting, recovered, came back, and is a battalion commander here."

"And I see the soldiers here, who are fighting in the field, the logistics personnel, the doctors; it is hard to believe what is happening here. This is the pride of the people of Israel. With such spirit, we will achieve the total victory."