8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza

16/6/2024 6:19

        Israel's military said Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
        
        The troops were killed in an explosion, the army said, without elaborating. The deaths will likely fuel calls for a cease-fire and heighten Israeli public anger over ultra-Orthodox exemptions from the military.
        
        In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed in a single attack by Palestinian militants in Gaza..
        
        Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered an end to government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who don’t serve in the army. A new draft law hasn't been passed, but the coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week voted in favor of extending exemptions for religious men. Although the vote was only procedural, it caused an uproar by being approved during a war in which hundreds of soldiers have died and many others remain inside Gaza or on the front lines against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
        
        Israel's coalition government contains a powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties that have been longtime partners of Netanyahu.