8 soldiers killed in Gaza in deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months

Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in the south of the Gaza Strip, the military said on Saturday. It was the deadliest attack on the country’s armed forces in months.

The attack, which came more than eight months into a simmering war, is likely to fuel Israeli protesters’ calls for a ceasefire and comes as the government faces widespread anger over the exemption of young ultra-Orthodox men from military service.

Israel launched an air and ground invasion of Gaza in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas and other militants on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostage. More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air and ground strikes, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Saturday’s explosion occurred in Rafah, a southern city that Israel describes as Hamas’ last major stronghold. Israel sent ground troops to the city in early May and has given no indication when the operation will end.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz paid tribute to the eight fallen soldiers.

“They knew they might have to sacrifice their lives, but they did it so we could live in this country. I salute them and hug their families,” Katz wrote in a post on X.

The military said the explosion occurred shortly after 5 a.m. in the Tal al Sultan area of ​​Rafah. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said it was caused by either an explosive device planted by Hamas or an anti-tank missile.

In January, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in a single attack by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

President Biden unveiled a ceasefire proposal this month that would see the release of the roughly 120 hostages still in Gaza and an end to the fighting. While the international community has largely welcomed the plan, both Israel and Hamas have expressed concerns. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not end the war until he has achieved the goal of destroying Hamas’ military and government capabilities.

“Today we paid another heartbreaking price in our just war to defend the homeland,” Netanyahu said on Saturday.

The war has divided Israeli public opinion. Every Saturday night, tens of thousands take to the streets to demand that the government reach an agreement to release the hostages. The government has declared more than 40 of the hostages held by Hamas dead, and officials fear that number could rise the longer they remain in captivity.

At a rally on Saturday evening, participants watched a video message from Andrey Kozlov, who was freed from Hamas captivity a week ago.

“More than 120 hostages are still there and I cannot be happy about this situation because I was rescued and they were not,” he said, according to the Hostages Families Forum headquarters. “I ask that they be brought home as soon as possible. Israel, the world, Hamas – I ask you to reach an agreement as soon as possible.”

At a weekly meeting of hostages’ relatives in Tel Aviv, Rotem Kalderon, son of hostage Ofer Kalderon, said he did not want to “live in a world full of death.”

“I am not prepared to live in a country whose government sends us to the borders to fight in wars and abandons us in the end,” he said. “I am not prepared to live without a father.”

The deadly explosion occurred days after Netanyahu’s coalition voted to extend the controversial exemption from conscription for ultra-Orthodox men.

Although the vote was procedural, it caused uproar at a time when Israel continues to battle Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah fighters on its northern border with Lebanon. The military says more than 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting since October 7.

Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered an end to state subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army. But Netanyahu’s government, which includes politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties, has found ways to keep the money flowing to religious institutions.

The government has been tasked with passing a new bill.

Most Jewish men and women are required to serve in the military from the age of 18. The exceptions for religious men have long been controversial among the general public.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was the only member of Netanyahu’s coalition to vote against the bill this week. Gallant, a member of the country’s war cabinet, insisted that all parts of Israeli society must make an equal contribution during the war in Gaza.

If Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox partners leave the government, the country would be forced to hold new elections – at a time when Netanyahu’s popularity is low and his prospects for re-election are questionable.

At an anti-government demonstration on Saturday, thousands demanded new elections and the release of the hostages.

“The fact that eight soldiers were killed today only underlines that we need a change,” said Amir Schnabel, one of the protesters. “We cannot live with this reality for long. If eight soldiers were killed today, more will be killed the next day and the day after. And the only way to change anything is to protest and overthrow the government, and we must do that as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, violence has flared up again in the West Bank since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. On Saturday, a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces near the northern city of Nablus, the Health Ministry in Ramallah said. An Israeli security official confirmed that Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who threw stones at troops during an anti-terror operation in the area. He spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official statement from the army.

Jeffery writes for the Associated Press.