JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the city of Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to local media.

The visit comes against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported.

Netanyahu's tour precedes a crucial meeting by the Israeli War Cabinet, which will discuss the potential prisoner exchange deal.

The meeting will include the negotiation team members and security officials.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 38,800 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 89,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​​​​​​​​