An explosion in southern Gaza killed eight Israeli soldiers, the military said on Saturday, making it the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
The attack, coming more than eight months into a grinding war that shows few signs of ending soon, was likely to fuel new calls for a cease-fire by Israeli protesters. It also came as the government confronts widespread anger over exemptions from military service for young ultra-Orthodox men.
Israel launched an air and ground invasion of Gaza in response to an October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas and other militants that killed around 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. The Israeli offensive has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. It has also unleashed a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where over 80 per cent of the population has been displaced, and Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hindered efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, fuelling widespread hunger.
