Israeli army bulldozers were seen near the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel, on Thursday. The Israeli army said on Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
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Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
JERUSALEM — An explosion in southern Gaza killed eight Israeli soldiers, the military said Saturday, making it the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
The offensive, which has lasted more than eight months and has become a fierce war that shows little sign of ending soon, may gain new momentum. called for a ceasefire by Israeli protesters. It also comes as the government faces widespread anger over the exemption of ultra-Orthodox youth from military service.
Israel launched an air and ground offensive into Gaza in response to an October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas and other militants that killed about 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. According to local health officials, the Israeli attack killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, who did not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It has also caused a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where more than 80% of the population has been displaced and Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hampered efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, causing famine spread.
Saturday’s explosion occurred in Rafah, a southern city that Israel identifies as Hamas’s last major stronghold. They sent ground troops to the city in early May and gave no indication of when the operation would end.
“They knew they might have to sacrifice their lives, but they did it so we could live in this country. I greet them and hug their families,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The military said the explosion occurred just after 5 a.m. in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesman, said the cause was either Hamas placing explosives or anti-tank missiles.
“We need to defeat the Rafah Brigade of Hamas and we are doing this with determination,” he said.
In January, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in a single attack by Palestinian rebels in Gaza.
President Joe Biden earlier this month announced a new ceasefire proposal that seeks to release about 120 hostages still in Gaza and end the fighting. While the international community broadly approved of the plan, both Israel and Hamas expressed misgivings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will not stop the war until the two goals of destroying Hamas’s administrative and military capabilities are achieved.
“Today we paid another heartbreaking price in a just war to defend our homeland,” Netanyahu said on Saturday. “With deep sadness, in heavy mourning, I bow my head with all the people of Israel and mourn the loss of our heroic warriors.”
The inconclusive war has divided the Israeli public, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets every Saturday night to call on the government to reach an agreement to bring the hostages home. The Israeli government has declared more than 40 hostages held by Hamas dead, and officials fear that number could rise the longer they are held.
At a protest Saturday night, participants watched a video message from Andrey Kozlov, who was rescued from Hamas captivity a week ago.
According to the Hostage Family Forum Headquarters, more than 120 hostages are still there and I cannot feel happy about this situation because I was rescued and they were not. “I asked to bring them home as soon as possible. Israel, the world, Hamas, I ask you to make an agreement as soon as possible.”
The deadly explosion also came days after Netanyahu’s coalition voted in favor of extending a controversial exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox men.
Although the vote was purely procedural, it caused uproar at a time when Israel continues to fight with Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah militants along the country’s northern border with Lebanon and the death toll continues increase. According to the military, more than 600 soldiers have been killed in fighting since October 7.
Last month, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered an end to government subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the military. But Netanyahu’s government, which includes politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties, has found ways to keep money flowing to religious organizations.
The government is still under orders to pass the new draft law.
Most Jewish men and women are required to serve in the military from the age of 18. Exemptions for religious men have long been a source of public controversy.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was the only member of Netanyahu’s coalition to vote against this week’s legislation. Gallant, a member of the country’s War Cabinet, has emphasized that all sectors of Israeli society contribute equally to the fight against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
If Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox partners leave the government, the country will be forced into new elections at a time when Netanyahu’s popularity is low and his re-election prospects are questionable. .
Months of ceasefire negotiations have failed to find common ground between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Hamas had proposed changes to the US-backed plan, some of which he said were “feasible” and some of which were not.
Hamas has repeatedly called for a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal to release the hostages. While the proposal announced by US President Joe Biden included these two provisions, Hamas expressed concern about whether Israel would commit to them.
Meanwhile, violence has flared in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war broke out. A 16-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces near the northern city of Nablus, the Ramallah-based Health Ministry said on Saturday. An Israeli security official confirmed that Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who were throwing rocks at the army during an anti-terrorism operation in the area. He spoke on condition of anonymity, awaiting official announcement from the military.
