Ultra-orthodox Jews wrestle with whether to serve in Gaza war

Ultra-Orthodox Jews visit Israeli army soldiers to show their support as they deploy at a position near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11, 2023. Yet some ultra-Orthodox Jews have chosen to renounce that controversial privilege and join the Israeli army. The all-night rave and the secular kibbutzim around Gaza where the Islamist militants killed hundreds of civilians, were not places were ultra-Orthodox Jews were likely to spend time. Among those few Haredi Jews who do join the military, many serve in a unit that specialises in body retrievals. Before the war started, a bill was due to be debated in the Israeli parliament on continuing the deferments for Haredi Jews.