US President Joe Biden earlier this month unveiled a new ceasefire proposal that seeks the release of the roughly 120 hostages who remain in Gaza and an end to the fighting. While the international community has broadly embraced the plan, both Israel and Hamas have expressed misgivings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not halt the war until he achieves the twin goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
“Today we paid another heartbreaking price in our just war for the defence of the homeland,” Netanyahu said. “With deep sorrow, in heavy mourning, I bow my head together with all the citizens of Israel and mourn the fall of our heroic warriors.”
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The inconclusive war has divided the Israeli public, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets each Saturday night to call on the government to reach a deal that would bring the hostages home. The Israeli government has already pronounced more than 40 of the hostages held by Hamas to be dead, and officials fear that number could grow the longer they remain in captivity.
Speaking at the weekly gathering of relatives of hostages in Tel Aviv, Rotem Kalderon, son of hostage Ofer Kalderon, said he isn’t ready “to live in a world full of death”.
“I am not ready to live in a country with a government that sends us to settle in the borders and fight in wars and in the end abandons us,” he said. “I’m not ready to live without a father.”
The deadly explosion also comes days after Netanyahu’s coalition voted in favour of extending the controversial exemptions from the military draft given to ultra-Orthodox men.
Although the vote was only procedural, it caused an uproar at a time when Israel continues to fight Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah militants along the country’s northern border with Lebanon and the death toll continues to climb. More than 600 soldiers have been killed in fighting since October 7, according to the military.
Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered an end to government subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men who don’t serve in the army. But Netanyahu’s government, which includes politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties, has found ways to keep money flowing to religious institutions.
The government is still under orders to pass a new draft law.
Most Jewish men and women are required to serve in the military from the age of 18. The exemptions granted to religious men have long been a source of contention among the broader public.
Israel’s defence 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 insisted that all sectors of Israeli society contribute equally during its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
If Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox partners leave the government, the country would be forced into new elections at a time when Netanyahu’s popularity is low and his re-election prospects are questionable.
People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and call for the release of hostages on Saturday night.Credit: AP
At an anti-government demonstration on Saturday, thousands of people demanded new elections and the release of the hostages.
“The fact that eight soldiers got killed today just emphasises the fact that we need a change,” said Amir Schnabel, one of the demonstrators. “We can’t live this reality for a long time. If today eight soldiers were killed, more will get killed the next day and the day after. And the only way to make a change is just to protest and bring the government down, and we have to do it as soon as possible. ”
Months of ceasefire negotiations have failed to find common ground between Israeli and Hamas. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Hamas proposed changes to a US-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” and some not.
Hamas has continually called for a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal that would see the hostages released. While the proposal announced by US President Joe Biden includes these two provisions, Hamas has expressed concern about whether Israel will commit to them.
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Meanwhile, violence has flared in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war erupted. On Saturday, a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces near the northern city of Nablus, the Ramallah-based Health Ministry said. An Israeli security official confirmed Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians who were throwing rocks at troops. He spoke on condition of anonymity, pending a formal announcement by the army.
Source Agencies
