Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that if a prisoner exchange agreement is reached with Hamas, Tel Aviv will stop the military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

This came during Katz's statements to the private Israeli Channel 12, after the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Hamas movement, published a video clip of two prisoners detained in Gaza, demanding the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release them.

Katz added: “If we reach a prisoner exchange agreement (with Hamas), we will suspend operations in Rafah,” without further details.

According to previous statements by Israeli officials, Tel Aviv insists on invading Rafah, claiming that it is “the last stronghold of the Hamas movement,” despite increasing international warnings of catastrophic repercussions, in light of the presence of about 1.4 million displaced people there.