According to the military, eight soldiers were killed in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in Gaza in months

The Israeli military said on Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months in the southern Gaza Strip.

The soldiers were killed in an explosion, the army said, without giving further details. The deaths are likely to fuel calls for a ceasefire and increase Israeli public anger over exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Christians in the military.

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 an end to state subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army. A new bill has not yet been passed, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition voted this week to expand exemptions for religious men. Although the vote was purely procedural, it caused uproar because it was passed during a war in which hundreds of soldiers have died and many more are still fighting in Gaza or on the front lines against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

US imposes sanctions on Israeli group that attacked aid organizations in Gaza

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defense Minister and member of the country’s War Cabinet, stressed that all sectors of Israeli society should make an equal contribution in the war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli coalition government includes a powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties that have long been Netanyahu’s partners. If these parties leave the government, the country would be forced to hold new elections. Netanyahu would lag significantly behind in opinion polls during the war.

Anti-government protests have been taking place in Tel Aviv for months. Many demonstrators are demanding the immediate return of the hostages and the resignation of Netanyahu.

Israel’s bombings and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, but no exact breakdown of the number of civilians and fighters is given. The war has also displaced about 80 percent of the 2.3 million residents from their homes, and Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting are hampering humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger.

Israelis and Palestinians are confident but cautious about the latest ceasefire proposal

Israel launched its campaign after Hamas and other militants entered Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire last year in exchange for Palestinians captured by Israel. Hamas is believed to be holding about 80 hostages and the remains of another 40 hostages.

Months of ceasefire talks have failed to find common ground between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas had proposed changes to a US-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” but others were not.

Hamas has repeatedly called for a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza as part of a deal that would lead to the release of the hostages. While the proposal announced by US President Joe Biden includes both of these provisions, Hamas has expressed concerns about whether Israel will abide by it.

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, there have been outbreaks of violence in the West Bank. 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. The Israeli army did not initially respond to a request for comment on the shooting.