Ultra-Orthodox Jews break into Israeli military base

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters have broken into an Israeli army base near Tel Aviv, the military said, as demonstrations against call-up orders for religious Jews previously exempt from conscription continued to flare.

The military condemned Tuesday's incident at the Tel Hashomer base, which occurred after protesters managed to break in before being cleared by police.

"Breaking into a military base is a serious offence and is against the law," the military said in a statement which insisted to bring to justice the protestors who continue with this "violent behaviour."

Video footage shared by the Israeli police showed dozens of men in the traditional black suits and hats worn by the ultra-Orthodox Jews confronting lines of police outside the base.

The demonstrations, which took place as Israel braced for an expected barrage of missiles from Iran over Tel Aviv's assassination of Hamas negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, underscored the deep splits that have widened in Israeli society ten months after the start of the carnage in besieged Gaza.

'Operational necessity'

Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government in June to end a longstanding exemption and draft ultra-Orthodox Haredi seminary students into the military, over the bitter objections of the community and religious parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.

The first call-up papers were sent out about two weeks ago, and the draftees are due to report to recruitment centres.

Draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews date back to the early days of the state of Israel, when the first prime minister, the Socialist David Ben-Gurion, exempted about 400 students from military service so they could devote themselves to religious study.

At the time, the Haredis were a tiny minority, but the exemptions have become an increasing problem as the community has expanded to make up more than 13 percent of Israel's population, a proportion expected to reach around a third within 40 years due to a high birth rate.

The issue has simmered unresolved for decades, but the carnage in Gaza and the possibility of a wider war with Iran and the Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon has brought it into sharp focus.

"The enlistment of ultra-Orthodox citizens is an operational necessity and is being conducted in accordance with the law" the Israeli army said, adding its determination to continue advancing the resolution.

Anti-Zionist Jews

Ultra-Orthodox Jews oppose enlisting in the army for various reasons, including — but not limited to — the removal of the element of isolation, which the community is known for, and the need for special accommodations if they enlist, such as serving in male-only units and prolonged prayer times.

Many of them are also anti-Zionists, since they believe a Jewish state can't be created before the arrival of the messiah, with many of them becoming supporters of Palestine.

Israel, on the other hand, keeps establishing illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and has reduced most of Gaza to ruins.

Tel Aviv has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 92,000 others.

Thousands have perished under the debris of bombed homes while some 10,000 Palestinians have been abducted by Israeli troops.

But some 45 American physicians, surgeons and nurses, who have volunteered in Gaza since last October say the likely death toll from Israel's genocidal war is "already greater than 92,000".

According to a study published in the journal Lancet, the accumulative effects of Israel's war on Gaza could mean the true death toll could reach more than 186,000 people.