Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to southern Gaza on Thursday and met with his troops, days before his speech to the US Congress. Netanyahu's visit to Rafah was announced hours after Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a move that could disrupt delicate Gaza ceasefire talks.

Ben-Gvir said he had visited the flashpoint site to pray for the return of Israeli hostages. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Ben-Gvir's visit as a provocation that endangered the delicate situation regarding the Jerusalem compound, which Jews venerate as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, a sacred site and important national symbol.

Netanyahu's visit to the US

The visit of the two leaders came hours after Israel's parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The vote, in an overnight session that lasted until Thursday morning, was largely symbolic and aimed at sending a message ahead of Netanyahu's trip to the US.

Israeli army attacks Rafah

Netanyahu's office announced the prime minister's visit to Rafah after he left the war-torn Palestinian territory. He later issued a statement stressing that only military pressure helps us push the hostage deal forward. The Israeli army attacked Rafah in early May, forcing most of the 2 million Palestinians sheltering there to flee.

dusty ghost town

Rafah, once a key entry point for humanitarian aid, is now a dusty ghost town, with bullet-riddled apartment buildings with broken walls and windows. Very few civilians remain. Israeli leaders have indicated that the Rafah operation is nearly a week away. Israel previously said Rafah was Hamas' last major stronghold in Gaza.

11 people killed in Israeli attacks

At least 11 people were killed in Israeli attacks overnight in central Gaza on Thursday, according to the Hamas-run civil defense organization and hospitals. At least two children and two women were killed in air strikes on a house and a car. In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up attacks in central Gaza, where many Palestinians have fled to escape fighting in other parts of the embattled region. Israel's military said it targeted a senior commander of the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad's naval forces in Gaza City and another Islamic Jihad commander responsible for launches in the town of Shijaiya.