JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's defense minister said Friday he has ordered ground forces to advance deeper into the Gaza Strip, and vowed to hold more land until Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds. “The more Hamas continues its refusal to release the kidnapped, the more territory it will lose to Israel,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. After retaking part of the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south, Israeli troops moved Thursday toward the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah.