Public pressure mounts for ceasefire deal in Gaza

TEL AVIV/GAZA — The latest deaths of Israeli soldiers are likely to increase public pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-long conflict, a move strongly opposed by hardline members of his right-wing ruling coalition.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that seven soldiers were killed in a single attack in southern Gaza on Tuesday, the military's deadliest day in the territory since it broke a ceasefire with Hamas in March.

Netanyahu said it was a "very difficult day" after the soldiers were killed. "It is a very difficult day for the people of Israel," he wrote on X.

Public support for Netanyahu weakened after the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel from Gaza. But his standing has been boosted by his surprise decision to strike Iran, a campaign widely viewed as dealing a significant blow to Israel's longtime adversary.

Attention has shifted back to Gaza following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a truce between Israel and Iran that came into effect on Tuesday and continues to hold.

Moshe Gafni, a lawmaker from an ultra-orthodox party within Netanyahu's coalition government, on Wednesday publicly questioned why Israel was still locked in the fighting in Gaza. "This is a very sad day … I still don't understand why we are fighting there," he said.

The Gaza conflict has persisted despite mounting domestic and international calls for a permanent ceasefire and to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

This week, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of some captives, called on the United States to push for a comprehensive deal that would secure the release of the hostages.

Also, Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, all of which he denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Wednesday, Trump weighed in on Netanyahu's long-running trial, urging for Israel's "Great War Time Prime Minister" to be exonerated after the conflict with Iran.

In Gaza, rescuers said Israeli forces killed 56 people in the territory on Thursday, including six who were waiting for aid in two separate locations.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said Israeli troops shot dead a 15-year-old boy on Wednesday, the second teenager killed there in three days.

Earlier this month, the army confirmed it had killed a 14-year-old who threw rocks in the town of Sinjil.

In a similar incident in April, a teenager who held US citizenship was shot dead in the neighboring town of Turmus Ayya, with the Israeli military saying it had killed a "terrorist" who threw rocks at cars.

Agencies via Xinhua