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Israelis demand hostage deal six months on from Hamas attacks - BBC News Israel-Gaza latest: IDF confirms 'decline in forces' in southern Gaza - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tells the BBC that the military is regrouping and conducting preparations for its next stage in the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is "one step away from victory" but insists there will be no ceasefire without the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Lt Col Peter Lerner says: "This is another stage in the war effort." Marking six months since the war broke out, Netanyahu tells a cabinet meeting: "We are one step away from victory. But the price we paid is painful and heart-breaking."
It comes after reports this morning that the IDF has withdrawn all of its ground troops on active manoeuvres from southern Gaza. It comes as a new round of truce talks are due to begin in Egypt later today.
Lerner says the IDF's military campaign is "continuously evolving". Netanyahu says that despite growing international pressure,
"The war is not over. War can only be over when they [hostages] come home and when Hamas is gone." Israel will not give in to "extreme" demands from Hamas.
He says the military completed its mission in the Khan Younis area and its troops will rotate out.
"It is a decline in the forces but there are more operations that need to be conducted. Rafah is clearly a stronghold. We need to dismantle Hamas' capabilities wherever they are."
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