Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, praised the soldiers and made clear that however big a victory, it was not the end of the war. The remaining hostages are not free and Hamas is fighting and sometimes killing Israeli troops. A year of war has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins.

Back in March, Vice President Kamala Harris warned Israel not to enter Rafah, the southern Gaza enclave where Hamas had holed up among the civilian population, saying in an interview that the U.S. would not rule out "consequences" if the Israeli military moved forward with a gathering invasion.