Powerful sect was exempted if studying full-time in religious seminaries
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.
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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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