JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army said Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
The army said the soldiers were killed in the blast but gave no further details. The deaths are likely to stoke calls for a ceasefire and increase Israeli anger at ultra-Orthodox Jews being exempt from the army.
In January, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in a single attack by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the suspension of government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who are not serving in the military. While a new bill has yet to be passed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government voted this week in favor of expanding exemptions to religious men. The vote was procedural but caused an uproar because it was approved in the midst of a war that has killed hundreds of soldiers and kept them on the front lines in the Gaza Strip and against Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.
Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister and a member of the country's war cabinet, has argued that all sectors of Israeli society should contribute equally in the war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's coalition government includes powerful ultra-Orthodox parties that are longtime partners of Netanyahu, whose withdrawal would leave him far behind in opinion polls in the midst of a war and force the country into new elections.
Anti-government protests have been ongoing in Tel Aviv for months, with many demonstrators calling for the immediate return of the hostages and for Prime Minister Netanyahu to step down.
Israeli bombing and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, but they have not said whether they were civilians or combatants. The war has also forced about 80 percent of the population of 2.3 million to flee their homes, while Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid and led to widespread famine.
Israel launched the operation after Hamas and other militant groups stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. During a week-long ceasefire last year, more than 100 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians who had been imprisoned in Israel. Hamas is believed to be holding about 80 hostages and another 40 bodies.
Months of ceasefire talks have failed to find common ground between Israel and Hamas, and on Wednesday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas had proposed changes to the US-backed plan, some of which were “workable” but some were not.
Hamas has always called for a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza as part of any deal leading to the hostage release. The proposal released by U.S. President Joe Biden includes those two provisions, but Hamas has expressed concerns about whether Israel will abide by them.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted. The Ramallah-based health ministry said a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces near the northern city of Nablus on Saturday. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the shooting.
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