 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to troops in southern Gaza Thursday, saying it was essential that Israel keep control of a strip of territory along the territory's border with Egypt, just days before he was set to give a speech to the U.S. Congress. In his comments at Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, Netanyahu sounded a tone of triumph in the campaign against Hamas and underscored the differences that still remain in attempts to reach a ceasefire. A U.S.-backed outline for a deal calls for an eventual full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.