TEL AVIV: As the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday visited an Israeli military camp in the Gaza Strip. Speaking to the soldiers, Netanyahu said the 'next stage of the war is coming.'

"Are you ready for the next stage?" he asked. Netanyahu shared the video on X. Netanyahu's visit to Gaza comes at a time when Israel is preparing for a ground war against Hamas.

The Israeli army had earlier warned people to leave northern Gaza within 24 hours, and said it would keep two roads open for people to leave until this evening.

Meanwhile, 2,269 Palestinians were killed and 9,814 were injured in Israeli attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Saturday. However, the Israeli military said that the terrorists who tried to infiltrate from Lebanon were killed by drones.

Earlier, the Israeli army announced that the senior commander of Hamas, Murad Abu Murad, was killed in an airstrike. Israel claimed Abu Murad was killed in an airstrike on the headquarters in Gaza that controlled Hamas operations. However, Hamas has not yet responded in this regard.