© ReutersIsraeli soldiers patrol in a tank near the Israel-Gaza border
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netahyahu has vowed 'there will be no ceasefire without the return of hostages' in an address marking six months since the conflict in Gaza began, as delegations meet in Cairo to discuss possible peace terms.
'We are one step away from victory. But the price we paid is painful and heartbreaking,' he said in a cabinet address on Sunday, reiterating that the beleaguered Gaza Strip cannot expect an end to the hostilities without the return of captives held since October 7.
'It just won't happen,' he said resolutely, adding that while 'Israel is ready for a deal', 'Israel is not ready to surrender'.
It came the Israel Defense Forces announced they had withdrawn all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip in order to 'recuperate and prepare for future operations'.
'Today, Sunday April 7th, the IDF's 98th commando division has concluded its mission in Khan Yunis,' a military spokesperson said on Sunday.
Asked whether this meant all troops have left south Gaza, an army official confirmed: 'Yes.'
It was unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which Israeli leaders have said is needed to eliminate Hamas.
© Anadolu/GettyHamas has said that its core demands are a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces - conditions Israel has previously rejected
It did not give details on its reasons for withdrawing soldiers or the numbers involved.
Dr Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor of Defence Studies at King's College London, told MailOnline today: 'I think the operation in Khan Younis has run its course and there was not really anything that could be achieved on the ground.'
He added that the withdrawal 'has to be seen within the context of a changing information environmental and changing global public opinion and most importantly the pressure that resulted from that'.
'In that context, Israel is now showing some goodwill that they want to make a change in Gaza operation, that's seen them opening the [Erez] crossing, allowing more aid in, allowing some bakeries to be opened.
'These are all signs that Israel wants to be more compliant with international law, which it very obviously has not been over the last at least three months.'
Comment: Bullsh*t. The IDF "want to make a change in Gaza operation" because it has been blindsided by a force possessing a strength and resilience they foolishly dismissed. They thought it would be as easy as beating up children and old people. Now they know better. Hamas is fighting for a home and a future for Palestine.
Dr Krieg said the 'tactical withdrawal' marked a 'very symbolic' gesture as patience in Washington and London wears thin.
However, he warned: 'I'm not sure it has any meaning in terms of a ceasefire... Israel is unlikely going to give that unilaterally. They are not ready for that. They are unprepared for that.'
While the withdrawal will likely delay the anticipated invasion of Rafah, it 'won't take them very long to put [troops] back in' if Israel does decide to proceed.
But with Israel aiming to 'eradicate' Hamas altogether, Dr Krieg warns it will take 'probably years' to achieve their objectives on the current trajectory.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said in an ABC News interview that the troop reduction appears to be a 'rest and refit', rather than a bowing out for the IDF.
'As we understand it, and through their public announcements, it is really just about rest and refit for these troops ... and not necessarily that we can tell indicative of some coming new operation for these troops,' Kirby said when asked about the step.
The announcement coincides with the six-month anniversary of Hamas' brutal October 7 incursion into Israel, killing some 1,170 people and taking 254 hostage according to Israeli figures.
Comment: Yeah, don't forget the word 'brutal', Daily Mail. As if that also wouldn't describe Israel's 70+ years of occupying Palestine.
The assault triggered a devastating Israeli invasion the Gaza Strip, estimated to have killed at least 33,175 and wounded 75,886 since October.
Comment: So a total of 109,061 casualties. That's 4 percent of Gaza's total population. It's estimated that over 17,000 of the dead are children.
Without a significant recovery of the hostages since November, protests have mounted within Israel to call for a ceasefire deal that would see their exchange, while Israel's leadership comes under pressure from its allies to seek peace terms amid fears of famine in the Palestinian enclave.
In Cairo, American and Israeli negotiators are expected to meet today to talk through a possible deal that would see hostages exchanged in return for a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
In a new push, CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani will join Egyptian officials for indirect talks from Sunday between the Israeli and Hamas delegations, Egypt's Al-Qahera News said.
Hamas has said that its core demands are a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces - conditions Israel has previously rejected.
Israel has stated that its objectives are to return those held hostage and to 'eradicate' Hamas.
Washington blames the failure to achieve a lasting ceasefire so far on Hamas' refusal to release sick and other vulnerable hostages, while Qatar has said Israeli objections to the return of displaced Gazans are the main obstacle.
It comes at a sensitive time in the conflict, amid fears that the war could spread after Iran vowed to hit back for the killing of seven of its Revolutionary Guards in an air strike Monday on the consular annex of its embassy in Damascus.
Comment: So Vienna Convention out the window, along with the already-tossed Geneva Convention. Israel is on a roll.
Iran's leaders have pledged retaliation, and the leader Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, has called the consulate strike a 'turning point'.
Israel's military said Sunday its warplanes had struck Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon's Baalbek region, where the group has a strong presence, in retaliation for one of its drones being downed.
Netanyahu today accused Iran of being behind several attacks against Israel 'through its proxies'.
'Anyone who hurts us or plans to hurt us - we will hurt him. We put this principle into practice, all the time and in recent days,' Netanyahu added.
Israel also faces pressure over the deaths of seven volunteer workers, killed in a procession of Israeli strikes last week while delivering aid with the World Central Kitchen. The group had just unloaded supplies at a warehouse in central Gaza when a vehicle some were travelling in was hit by a precision R9X Hellfire missile shortly before midnight on Monday.
Passengers were seen scrambling from the wreckage and jumping into the other two cars - and telling the IDF they had come under fire. The remaining vehicles were hit after travelling just 1,000 yards up the road, on a street 'designated for the passage of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The third car tried to take the injured to safety but was hit by a drone after making it a mile up the coastal road, killing all seven of the volunteers.
Since then, the three main British opposition parties and some lawmakers in the governing party have said the British government should consider suspending arm sales to Israel.
UN chief Antonio Guterres labelled it 'unconscionable' and 'an inevitable result of the way the war is being conducted'.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Netanyahu that Britain was appalled by the deaths and demanded a thorough and transparent independent investigation, Sunak's office said.
Britain also summoned the Israeli ambassador to London and has demanded 'full accountability' over the deaths, which foreign secretary David Cameron described as 'completely unacceptable'.
In a strongly worded statement, US President Joe Biden said Israel 'has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.'
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he expressed 'anger and concern' to Netanyahu in a separate call.
Poland said 'it does not agree to the lack of compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers', and demanded compensation for the families of the killed WCK staff.
Israel maintains the strikes were accidental, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging that the 'tragic case' would be investigated 'right to the end'.
'This happens in war,' he said. 'We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.'
Chief of staff of the Israeli military, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi added: 'I want to be very clear - the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers.
'It was a mistake that followed a misidentification - at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened,' Halevi said.
The Israeli military pledged an investigation by 'an independent, professional and expert body'.
But the deaths have seen Israel's allies step up calls for an urgent ceasefire, stressing the dire humanitarian situation.
Marking the six-month anniversary of the conflict, Rishi Sunak said in a statement: 'We continue to stand by Israel's right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security.
'But the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed, and appalled by the killing of brace British heroes who were bringing food to those in need.
'This terrible conflict must end. The hostages must be released. The aid - which we have been straining every sinew to deliver by land, air and sea - must be flooded in.
'The children of Gaza need a humanitarian pause immediately, leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire. That is the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in, and to stop the fighting and loss of life.
'For the good of both Israelis and Palestinians - who all deserve to live in peace, dignity and security - that is what we will keep working to achieve.'
Comment: Although this analysis by Electronic Intifada panelists is two months old, the conclusions match up with Israel's current actions (some graphic content)
Palestinian resistance keeps up the pressure, with Jon Elmer