Israeli military to draft ultra-Orthodox men

Israeli police remove an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man during a protest against army recruitment. File Pic/AP

Israel's Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service - a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition as Israel wages war in Gaza.

Most Jewish men and women in Israel are required to serve mandatory military service at the age of 18. But the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox traditionally received exemptions if they were studying full-time in religious seminaries. These exemptions infuriated the wider general public, especially as hundreds of soldiers were killed in the war with Hamas.

Palestinians pray during a mass funeral of people killed. Pic/AFP

Israel and Hamas appear to be moving further apart over how the cease-fire deal plays out. Netanyahu said he will only accept a partial cease-fire deal that would not end the eight-month-long war, casting doubt on the viability of a US-backed truce proposal. Israeli leaders are also increasingly signaling that a war with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah could be next.

Militants involved in Oct 7 attack killed

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight killed several Hamas operatives involved in the October 7 attacks, the army said on Tuesday. The terrorists based themselves in school compounds and were operating inside two structures in the Shati and Daraj Tuffah areas of northern Gaza.

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