'We are on outskirts of Gaza City and advancing': Netanyahu

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the army is already on the outskirts of Gaza City and it has "impressive success".

He said that the army is "advancing and nothing was going to stop its advancement".

He made the remarks while was addressing the soldiers of IDF's Marom Brigade on Thursday.

The Prime Minister was briefed by the unit commanders on their activities in recent weeks, including rescuing civilians and clearing terrorists from the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, as well as refresher exercises for marksmanship and sniper teams, and emergency squads from around the country, and training forces ahead of the ground incursion.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also participated in an exhibition of the elite units' unique operational capabilities, and the use of the units' special equipment, which will be used in the fighting in Gaza and various additional sectors.

Netanyahu, while addressing the soldiers, said: "I am here at the Marom Brigade with the elite units, which are doing sacred work. The men and women fighters, who in the hours immediately after the attack, even in the first hour, went to the site, fought heroically, saved people, lost comrades and blocked the enemy."

"We are in the midst of the campaign. We have very impressive successes. We are already on the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing. We also have losses, painful losses, because every soldier who falls is an entire world, and our hearts are with the families.

"But I want to make one thing clear, one of the soldiers said it just now -- nothing will stop us. I call on non-combatants -- leave, go south because we will not stop our action to eliminate the Hamas terrorists. We will advance. We will advance and win, and we will do so with God's help and the help of our heroic soldiers. I rely on you. I believe in you. The entire people of Israel stands behind you until victory," he added.