Seven Israeli soldiers were slain in a rocket attack in Gaza’s south on Tuesday, the worst day for the military in the region since the collapse of a truce with Hamas in March. The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday that a lieutenant, three staff sergeants, and three sergeants of a combat engineering battalion were killed when an explosive device was detonated along their armoured vehicle, igniting a fatal fire.
Hamas’s militant branch said it carried out the attack in Khan Younis and that militants also fired an anti-tank missile at a second vehicle that tried to help.
The deaths have renewed public demands for an end to the permanent ceasefire in the almost two-year-old war. Netanyahu is once again under pressure, particularly within his own government. Ultra-Orthodox legislator Moshe Gafne questioned continuing the war, saying: “This is a very sad day… I still don’t understand why we are fighting there. To what end?”
While Netanyahu’s popularity crashed after Hamas October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, his recent move to attack Iran has for the time being given a boost to his popularity. However, with a vulnerable ceasefire presently in place between Israel and Iran, attention once again centers around the Gaza war.
The war is still diplomatically isolating Israel. In the recent 12-day standoff with Iran, more than 800 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including a minimum of 30 individuals, including a reporter, on Wednesday alone.
The most lethal day for Israeli troops since the war started was in January 2024, when 24 soldiers were killed 20 in one explosion.
In spite of mounting local and international calls for a truce and hostage release talks, hardline ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir hold firm on continuing the battle. Hamas maintains 20 surviving hostages and the remains of 30 dead hostages.
