JERUSALEM, Feb 15 — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday vowed Israeli forces would carry out a "powerful” operation in Rafah after civilians in the overcrowded south Gaza city are allowed to leave.

"We will fight until complete victory and this includes a powerful action also in Rafah after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued in Hebrew on his official Telegram account.

In a separate video statement, he said the only way to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas militants was continued to military pressure.

"So far we have freed 112 of our abductees through a combination of strong military pressure and firm negotiations,” he said.

"This is also the key to the release of most of our abductees: strong military pressure and very firm negotiations.”

During the October 7 attack, Hamas militants abducted some 250 hostages to the Gaza Strip.

Israeli officials say some 130 are still being held in the Palestinian territory, including 29 believed to have been killed.

The attack itself resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

In Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza at least 28,576 people, mostly women, children and adolescents have been killed, according to the health ministry in Gaza. — AFP