Israel prepares for a general strike as protests continue over the government’s failure to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Tensions have been high since soldiers recovered the bodies of six hostages on Saturday, sparking outrage across the country.
Tens of thousands of people rallied across Israel on Sunday, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of not doing enough to reach an agreement on the remaining hostages held by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack.
Histadrut, Israel’s largest union, called for a one-day strike on Monday, with its leader Arnon Bar-David saying the country was getting “body bags instead of a deal” .
The government reacted angrily to the unions’ actions, with far-right Finance Minister Bezarel Smotrich accusing the unions of playing into Hamas’s hands.
It’s unclear how widespread the shutdown will be, after several cities and municipalities announced they would not participate.
However, calls for a nationwide strike are the latest sign that public anger over the recent hostage killings has not subsided.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier said six bodies were found in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Saturday.
The hostages were identified as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Sergeant Major Ori Danino.
The Israel Defense Forces said they were killed shortly before its troops reached them on Saturday.
That sparked demonstrations on Sunday, with crowds accusing the government and Mr. Netanyahu personally of failing to save the remaining hostages.
Sunday’s protests It was largely peaceful, but the crowd broke through police cordons and blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv.
Some climbed onto buses and bins to gain a vantage point of the march, while others surrounded people wearing Mr Netanyahu masks, chanting: “Alive, alive, we want them alive.” “
One demonstrator held a sign that read: “You are the boss. You are to blame.”
Protesters – many wearing Israeli flags – also attacked Jerusalem and other Israeli cities.
The demonstrations have cast a pall over humanitarian efforts in Gaza, where the United Nations said on Sunday that the first day of demonstrations would end. Campaign to vaccinate 640,000 children The fight against polio has been successful.
The deployment relies on a pause in a series of localized fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, with the first three-day window beginning on Sunday.
It is unclear how many hostages remain in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel, kidnapping 251 people and killing 1,200 others.
In response, the Israeli military launched a ground and air offensive in Gaza to destroy Hamas.
Since then, more than 40,738 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
