Anger in Israeli public opinion, which for the first time will also take the form of mass strike actions, was caused by the discovery early on Sunday of six murdered hostages who had been kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.
Thousands of people took to the streets again on Sunday night, as labor organizations say they will join the Histadrut, a union representing around 800,000 workers in the country.
But while the political world presses Benjamin Netanyahu for a deal to free the roughly 100 hostages remaining in the hands of Hamas, the prime minister is declaring that anyone who shoots hostages cannot talk about a deal.
Strike on Monday
Histadrut president Arnon Bar-David said “we are getting body bags instead of a deal” and called on workers to go on a one-day strike from 06:00 local time on Monday.
He also said he had promised the families of the hostages that he would “pull the switches” on the economy through a strike – “now is the time,” Bar-David stressed.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport will be closed from 08:00, kindergartens and schools will be closed, and universities will also be closed. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Hulday announced that the city’s municipal employees are free to participate in Monday’s strike.
It is expected that the means of transport and the operation of OTAs mainly in smaller cities will still be affected (for example, municipal workers in Jerusalem, Dimona or Ashdod will not participate). The strike is still being supported by major manufacturing industries and high-tech entrepreneurs.
The government’s line was expressed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, known for his extreme positions. Not only did he condemn the strike, but he claimed that it represented “the interests of Hamas.”
Smotris did not stop at the statements, who asked the country’s attorney general to submit an urgent request to the courts to block the strike.
As he argues, the strike has no legal basis since it aims to unfairly influence important political decisions on issues related to state security. At the same time, he stressed that a wider strike, which would shut down the country as no flights would be made, has significant economic consequences that would cause unnecessary economic losses in wartime.
Protest rallies
The gathering was large on Sunday night in Jerusalem, where protesters – some of them crying – gathered outside Netanyahu’s office. In Tel Aviv, some protesters chanted “Now”, the BBC reports, – demanding an urgent deal to free the hostages.
Meanwhile, the families of the hostages are pushing for a nationwide strike as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Mr Netanyahu’s government and Hamas.
Another rally is planned for noon on Monday outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
They were murdered in the last few days
Alive even a few days ago were the six hostages who were found dead, as the autopsy of the victims showed.
Coroners said the hostages were killed by point-blank gunfire “between Thursday and Friday morning.” Hamas terrorists had shot them several times, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health clarified.
As he added, “the deaths probably occurred about 48 to 72 hours before the autopsy, that is, between Thursday and Friday morning.”
The six bodies were found in a tunnel in Rafah, Israeli media reported.
They were Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Herz Goldberg-Paulin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Saroussi and Ori Danino.
“The delay in signing the agreement led to the death of the hostages themselves and many others,” the Hamas Hostage Families Forum points out.
How did Netanyahu respond to these? In a statement, he pointed out that Israel is committed to reaching an agreement to release the remaining hostages and ensure Israel’s security, and stressed that “anyone who murders hostages does not want an agreement.”
“We will hunt you down, catch you and settle our accounts,” was Netanyahu’s message to Hamas.
The pressures for an agreement also come from within the government. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallad called on the prime minister to conclude a ceasefire agreement with Hamas so that the hostages from Gaza could return home.
Gallant has repeatedly clashed with Netanyahu and hardline religious nationalist ministers over the need to reach an agreement to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israel.
Israeli media reported that Gallant sparred with Netanyahu during a security cabinet meeting on Thursday over issues involving the Gaza Strip and warned that time was running out for a deal to free the hostages.
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