hello, i'm rajini vaidyanathan. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, says his troops are just "one step away from victory". it's six months since hamas gunmen stormed into southern israel, massacring twelve—hundred people and kidnapping more than two—hundred— and—fifty. the attack sparked what's become the deadliest and most destructive israel—gaza war, killing over 33 thousand palestinians. speaking at a cabinet meeting, mr netanyahu said a ceasefire would not be agreed until israeli hostages, captured by hamas in october, were released. the achievements of the war are great. we eliminated 19 out of 2a of the hamas battalions, including senior commanders. we killed, wounded or captured a significant number of hamas terrorists.

we purged shifa and many other terrorist headquarters as well. we destroyed factories, manufacturing rockets, control rooms, weapons, ammunition, and we continue to systematically destroy what is underground. we are one step away from victory. israel is not the one preventing a deal. hamas prevents a deal. its extreme demands were intended to bring about an end to the war and leave it intact, meaning to ensure its survival, its rehabilitation, its ability to endanger our citizens and our soldiers. surrendering to hamas demands will allow it to try to repeat the crimes of october 7th again and again, as it promised to do. hamas hopes that the pressure from outside and inside will make israel surrender to these extreme demands. it will not happen. israel is ready for a deal. israel is not ready to surrender.

israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu speaking, there. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in southern israel. as the israel gaza war reaches six months mark. it was here in the early hours on october the 7th that hamas gunmen from the gaza strip stormed into southern israel, killing 1200 people and kidnapping more than 250. israel called it its darkest day. at the end of the murderous assault, 1,200 israelis were dead, and over 250 had been taken hostage. the attack sparked what's become the deadliest and most destructive israel—gaza war. here in sderot, you can see on the horizon, gaza city. even today, we can see the smoke rising. israel carries out a campaign it says it will continue until hamas is destroyed.

in the last few hours, we have heard from the israeli military. the israeli military says it has withdrawn more ground troops from the southern gaza. they are leaving only those who are to secure a corridor which now divides the strip. it comes after four months of fighting in the khan younis area. lieutenant colonel peter lerner is a spokeseperson for the israel defence forces. i asked him about the announcement that idf withdraws troops from southern gaza. the idf has and is regrouping, conducting its next preparations for the next stage. the war is not over as long as there are 133 israelis being held by hamas. the war can only be over when they come home and when hamas is gone. the reality is one which is unacceptable. we can't accept that hamas will govern the gaza strip precisely because we've seen what they do with the powers of government. they take advantage of that, they build a terrorist army. they came into our bedrooms, abducted, killed, murdered, massacred.

that needs to change. but can you provide, lieutenant colonel lerner, more details on this movement? is it a rotation? will they be replaced 7 or does this represent a significant shift in the military campaign? the military campaign is continuously evolving, and this is just another stage in the war effort. as we completed our mission in khan younis, in the khan younis area, so then the troops rotate out, and we have other troops that are operating elsewhere. so it's important to understand it is a decline in the forces, but there are more operations that need to be conducted. rafah is clearly a stronghold where there are four battalions untouched and where we released two hostages from just last month. so we need to be able to get all of the hostages back wherever they are. we need to dismantle hamas's capabilities, wherever they are, and we will mobilise

ourforces accordingly. the forces aren't in the gaza strip just to take control of gaza. that's not the intention by any stretch of the imagination. the forces are there to get rid of hamas and bring back the hostages. lieutenant colonel peter lerner. at the six—month mark of the israel— gaza war, memorials are being held at some sites here across israel including at a site close to the border where a celebration turned into scenes of the slaughter. we spoke to people visiting latter—day to light candles to remember those who perished that day at the nova festival. people expressing grief which is still raw. loved ones are still being held across the border in gaza. they also expressed frustration with the israeli government and forces being unable to come to their rescue soon enough, that there had been this

massive security breach. our international editor, jeremy bowen, who has been covering this israel— gaza war since the start, has been to the kibbutz which suffered terribly on that day. six months after the attacks, it is a bit like going back into a time machine because all the damage is still here. and the reason for that is that in this kibbutz, nir oz, one in four of the population of the more than 400 people was either killed, or taken into gaza, about a mile away on the border, as hostages.

looking around at the damage here and hearing the stories too of what happened, hamas came in around 6:30 in the morning and were here until early afternoon, undisturbed, going house to house until the army arrived. the war is still going on, that is outgoing fire from an israeli battery into gaza. this is now one of the typical houses in this kibbutz, abandoned and burnt out. six months on, it still smells of burning on the sofa, six months on, it still smells of burning, on the sofa, there is still some neatly folded laundry, perhaps done the evening before october 7th. going around this place you can understand why israelis believe very strongly that they are fighting a just war in gaza. of course, their allies feel the same.

their quarrel is with the methods that israel has been using that has cost so many innocent palestinian lives. and as for the family who lived here in this house, they are dead. let us look back on the momentous events of october the 7th. let's speak to ehud barak, who served as prime minister of israel from 1999 to 2001. thank you forjoining us. thank you for having me. what we are hearing from southern israel from people remembering those who were killed that day, the hostages who were taken, is that they are grieving, and the grief and pain is still profound. but, they are also angry at the massive security failure. you understand the israeli military

well, how could that have been allowed to happen? it is a major failure of our intelligence, of our army. this morning, it is a majorfailure of strategy by the government who, for unexplainable reasons, almost unexplainable, believed for several years that hamas was not a threat and the palestinian authorities were a liability rather than the other way around. and basically, our government encouraged the qataris to pay $1.5 billion to hamas. quite a major failure with the worst day, october the 7th, the worst day in our history, and we are paying the price for it, but i'm confident that at the end, we will overcome, and we will resume

our march forward. israel's war cabinet is divided by benjamin netanyahu who says the war must go on until hamas is destroyed , hamas. others say the war will not achieve that directive, that israel must use other ways. where do you stand in that divide? look, i think that today, a new chapter eventually starts in this war. the last big level of division, the gaza strip, only one out of 30 brigade level units now remain inside gaza. it is by the very fact a new chapter. now, it is a debate within our cabinet. i belong to those who think

that it is notjust of the worst that it is notjust the worst day, but in spite of the devotion, sacrifice, and the courage of our fighting soldiers, it was very poorly managed strategically. there was an inability by the prime minister to take the strategic choices and decisions that have to be made during the war. i am a great believer in the old saying that if you don't know which end you want to reach, no wind will take you there. know which port you want to reach, no wind will take you there. for a reason it has to do with political interest, that was the proper way of running the war. netanyahu blocked almost physically any discussion about the morning after, the day after the war. as a result, hamas gained the last of these clumsy managements on a strategic level.

if you were prime minister now and ifjoe biden called you up and said: "we need a ceasefire", what would you say? i say, not now. i say, we have been fighting a five and a half months. from the second week, the choice that we have had was whether talk to the united states. tell them, our security. basically, let us close the door behind us, sit with thejordanians, with the saudis, showing signs of readiness to join the club, and deploy the moderation led by the united states into a new regional order facing the axis of rogue states led by iran, backed by russia,

including syria, hamas, hezbollah, yemen, and so on, and basically establish another multinational force which will be ready to take the gaza from our hands within two or three months for limited periods during which they will bring into the gaza strip a revived or revitalised palestinian authority, as the only legitimate player legally to go there and basically have a deal with saudi arabia, probably, and the only expected thing from israel is to be ready to launch a process that at the end will lead towards the vision of two states, something all of us have done including netanyahu.

there have been several attacks in the last three decades. you try to make peace with palestinians and failed. it is remembered here in israel beyond. do you still believe there will one day... do you still want there to be a palestinian state alongside israel? as you accurately describe the israeli mood now, it is one of deep pain. there is still trauma in the air. there are calls for revenge. there is a boiling blood. that is not exactly the time to talk about peace. israel has a compelling imperative to make sure that hamas will not ever win on the gaza strip and will not be capable of threatening israel. that is the main objective.

we made certain mileage towards it. i should admit that even after six months, it is far from being completed. netanyahu was speaking about a small step, an absolute victory just behind the corner. that is not true. if we enter into rafah, it might take several months until it is over. i think now is not the time to announce eternal peace coming from heaven. it is the time to release the hostages, strike a deal about the refugees , the hostages, bring them back home. and then, decide how to continue. i think that there is a good chance that is we the fighting in gaza, we can reduce the tension in the north, bring into homes all of the hundreds of thousands

of israelis who left the gaza area, and the lebanon border area, and we can reduce the risk of finding ourselves in a regional war. it is time to correct the relationship that was deeply held with the united states and resume support for israel. israel always has to have a full—scale war with a major world power, and always having a short and decisive campaign, and always holding the moral high ground. somehow, netanyahu seems to me , seems to miss to me, seems to miss all of these three lessons. a decisive short war, as well as the need to have the american power beside us, and the need to hold the moral high ground by avoiding the humanitarian crisis and many other painful mistakes along the way. ehud barak, former prime minister,

thank you forjoining us with your assessment of the military strategy and possible political pathways ahead. thank you. thank you having me. let us get another perspective on this continuing war, this grievous israel— gaza war which is now at the six—month mark. we can now cross over london. husam zomlot, do you see what is happening as a possible turning point in this war? are you aware that netanyahu is being put under pressure to move towards a ceasefire? hello. so far, i have not seen that pressure from the united kingdom, the united states, the of the international community working on israel. he would have imagined that the six

months on from the genocidal who would have imagined that the six months on from the genocidal aggression that we are still talking about the genocide? it would have imagined that after the first child the world would be shocked? 100 children, 1000 children, 10,000 palestinian children, the world would be shocked? now, we are nearly 100,000 maimed and killed, mostly women and children. what kind of pressure are we talking about? the uk, us, lebanon, including an immediate embargo on arms ending up in the bodies of our children, and leveraged like suspending israel's membership of the un because it has already violated the un security council resolution and calling for an immediate ceasefire which the uk voted for. so, genocidal israel is not the discussion, the discussion is the rest of the world and what it is

going to do, and what are the consequences on all of us after the normalisation of the mass murder of children, the normalisation of the mass destruction of an entire population, the erasure of an entire people by the use of famine, and disease as weapons of war? we are in the 21st century, and i believe the consequences will be severe. i believe the world, especially the west, have got to think seriously now, not just about palestine and what is happening, but about the international rules, international system. when will be the next war? against who? whose children? how are bigots all around the world going to use this moment to normalise such scenes that offend our humanity. i'm sorry to tell you that whatever lip service we are hearing from london or from washington, it is not working. we understand pressure is being put

on the negotiating teams in cairo, pressure on hamas, pressure on israel from their respective allies, to come to a deal. for swapping hostages in gaza for palestinian prisoners in israeli jails, and to achieve a humanitarian pause, a ceasefire. are you hearing that there is now a greater chance that those talks can succeed? these talks have been ongoing for a long time, there has been an international formula, the us has been involved for hostage exchange. an emergency permanent ceasefire, that formula has been rejected by benjamin netanyahu. it is very clear that benjamin netanyahu wants a perpetual aggression on gaza. he needs war, and if it is not in gaza, he is going to lebanon, syria, he is provoking in the west bank, this prime minister of israel lives now on aggression, lives on confrontation. and therefore, we are not hearing

very promising news so far. the leveraged of the west of the world has not been exercised the leverage of the rest of the world has not been exercised despite all of the statements we have been hearing. and still, netanyahu is preparing for an invasion of rafah, he has declared it many times. you know the consequences and the untold stories and suffering that would be be caused if he does so. the plan is very clear: netanyahu and the israeli government want to push the palestinians out of gaza. they have already made gaza unlivable. the sheer level of destruction which has occurred in gaza is unmatched. it is unprecedented. therefore, netanyahu is manoeuvring by saying he is engaging in negotiations, he is outmanoeuvring his internal rivalries, outmanoeuvring his allies in the us and the uk and elsewhere, and he isjust waiting to bide time for that moment when he is capable

of pushing a vast number of palestinians out of their homeland. that is the plan, otherwise, how do you explain the policy? how do you explain what they are doing in the north of gaza? how do you explain the humanitarian aid workers? can you explain the famine and what have you? the pan to be mag plan is being executed. that was a report from lyse doucet. the viewers watching in the uk, lyse doucet is presenting a special programme on bbc two tonight where she will assess the human cost of six months of the conflict with eyewitness accounts from both israel and gaza. that is the darkest days on 9pm on bbc two and also, if you are in the uk, you can watch it on bbc iplayer. now imagine running the entire length of africa for charity.

well russ cook, who calls himself the hardest geezer, is now not far from reaching the finishing line of his year long quest to do just that. the 27—year—old is set to end his epicjourney in tunisia. ellie price has more. let's go! day three! day four! day six! only the hardest geezer could run nearly every day for 350 days, covering more than 10,000 miles. day 349 of running the entire length of africa. he's run through deserts, rainforests, savannahs, mountains, jungle and 16 countries, and so far he's raised well over £600,000 for the running charity and sandblast. he's faced complications with visas, health scares, and even an armed robbery. cheering. how are you feeling? yeah, all right. but he's taken it all in his stride, and in this final stretch, the he's had a little help from his friends. ready to run a marathon? yeah!

he should make that finish line in tunisia within the next hour, and he says the first thing he's going to do — have a strawberry daiquiri on the beach. ellie price, bbc news. i think he deserves it. we will have full coverage when he makes the finish line here in bbc news. now, we go to baltimore in the state of maryland. wreckage being cleared. that is more than a week after a cargo ship crashed into the bridge, sending it collapsing into the harbour and killing six construction workers. they say replacing the bridge will likely take years, but authorities have opened to temporary channels to allow some shallow vessels like barges and tug boats to move around the container vessel. us president, joe biden, visited

baltimore on friday and pledged government help to pledge to mimic help rebuild. more on that story after the break. i am rajini vaidyanathan. same here in bbc news. good afternoon. well, after a stormy start to our weekend, the winds are still a feature out there but not as severe as yesterday. and there are still some lengthy spells of sunshine to be found. but the rainbow says it all. yes, some of us will continue to see some showers. most frequent showers across the north—west of scotland and running up through south—west england across wales, stretching up into the midlands and lincolnshire. one or two heavier ones. maybe the odd rumble of thunder and still, accompanied by gusts of winds in excess of 40—50 mph in the land, stronger still in the far north of scotland. here, highs of 10—13.

not quite as warm in the south—east as yesterday, but nevertheless, 17 degrees is still pretty good for this time of year. as we move into monday, there is another deepening area of low pressure that is going to be pushing in from the south—west. it stays pretty unsettled for the next few days, i am afraid. the heaviest of the rain first thing on monday morning, channel islands, isles of scilly, cornwall, stretching up across the west coast of wales. there will be some sharper showers ahead of it as well, but quite a lot of cloud, not rain all of the time for much of central and eastern england. still highs in the middle of the afternoon of 17 degrees. the heaviest of the rain moving up through the irish sea, effecting the isle of man into northern ireland. the east of england along with scotland will be dry and relatively pleasant. 11—15 degrees not out of the question across north—east england through the afternoon. but as that low pressure continues to drift its way steadily north, the wind direction changes and strengthens down to the south—west. gales first thing on tuesday

morning, and that north—westerly cooler air source will push the milder air that we have seen of late out of the way. so tuesday is not looking like a particularly pleasant day. there will be spells of heavy rain sitting across scotland in particular, and north—east england. we will see quite a lot of cloud and a brisk winds, in fact gales, down to the south—west. that is just going to make it feel noticeably cooler than the last couple of days. so temperatures on your thermometers are likely to peak between eight and 12 degrees. it is a bit of a roller—coaster at this time of year, and that is exactly what is going to happen because as we move towards the middle to the end of the week we could potentially get warmeragain, particularly across eastern england.

this is bbc news, the headlines: israel says it has withdrawn more ground troops from southern gaza. the move was announced as benjamin netanyahu claims his troops are "one step from victory". it translation: israel is ready for a deal. israel— it translation: israel is ready for a deal. israel is _ it translation: israel is ready for a deal. israel is not _ it translation: israel is ready for a deal. israel is not ready - it translation: israel is ready for a deal. israel is not ready to - a deal. israel is not ready to surrender. the israel gaza war reaches its six—month mark. on october 7th, hamas attacked israel killing about 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage. in the war that has followed, the hamas—run health ministry says at least 33,000 palestinians

have been killed. slovakia's elected a new president — peter pellegrini is a nationalist who's sceptical of sending military aid to ukraine. he won by a greater margin than expected, defeating the pro—western candidate ivan korcok. it is no time to take a look at the sport with jane. —— now time. hello from the bbc sports centre. it's just kicked off in the big match between manchester united and liverpool in the english premier league with liverpool hoping to re—gain top spot in the table. arsenal took the lead on saturday. that game is just under way at old trafford. one minute on the clock. it is still 0-0. it's one of three games in the premier league today. chelsea — who had that dramatic late win over united in midweek — are away at sheffield united. they lost to liverpool

on the same night.