The Israeli army said on Saturday there were eight soldiers killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
Only one of the dead troops was identified by the military. No further information was immediately available.
In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed in an attack single attack by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
The deaths are likely to fuel calls for a ceasefire and increase Israeli public anger over the army’s ultra-Orthodox exemptions.
Months of ceasefire negotiations have failed to find common ground between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas was proposing changes to a US-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” and others were not, without further elaboration.
Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered an end to government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the military. Their exemption from military service has angered large parts of Israeli society during the eight-month war.
Israel’s coalition government consists of a powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties that have been long-time partners of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli bombing and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not take into account the collapse of civilians and fighters. The war has also driven about 80% of the 2.3 million residents from their homes, and Israeli restrictions have been imposed persistent fighting have hampered efforts to secure humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger.
Israel launched its campaign after Hamas and other militants stormed into Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostage. Last year, more than a hundred hostages were released during a weeklong ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians captured by Israel. Hamas does to believe approximately 80 hostages and the remains of another 40.
