VTA major Israeli labour union has called for a nationwide general strike on Monday after the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were recovered.
“We are getting body bags instead of a deal,” said Arnon Bar-David, chairman of the Histadrut, which represents around 800,000 members.
He called on workers to stage a one-day walkout from 06:00 local time on Monday, adding that Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport will be closed from 08:00.
The intervention came just hours before thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as pressure mounted on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to return the remaining hostages.
ReutersIn Jerusalem, demonstrators -some of them openly weeping – gathered outside Mr Netanyahu’s office. In Tel Aviv, some protesters chanted “Now” – demanding an urgent hostage deal.
Families of the hostages have been pushing for a nationwide strike as part of efforts to get a ceasefire agreement between Mr Netanyahu’s government and Hamas.
The Hostages Families Forum said that all six held captive were “murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation in Hamas captivity”.
“The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages,” it said.
Mr Bar-David said: “We must reach a deal. A deal is more important than anything else.”
He added: “I call on the people of Israel to go out to the streets tonight and tomorrow and for everyone to take part in the strike.”
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv’s Mayor Ron Huldai announced that the city’s municipal workers are free to join Monday’s strike “as a sign of solidarity with the abductees and their families”.
The prime minister said he was committed to securing a deal that releases the remaining captives and protects the country’s security. But he said: “Whoever murders hostages – does not want a deal.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quick to condemn the general strike, claiming that it represented “the interests of Hamas”.
Hours after Mr Bar-David’s intervention, thousands of people began descending on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to take part of a mass demonstration to demand a ceasefire.
They include 24-year-old Yotam Peer, whose 21-year-old brother was killed on 7 October in the Hamas attacks.
He told the BBC: “After we heard about the six hostages we couldn’t be silent anymore. It’s really important. We don’t have a choice anymore.
“It has exceeded the limit.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the six bodies were located on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
The IDF said they are Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt Ori Danino.
It is not clear how many hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas kidnapped 251 people and killed 1,200 others during an attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
Israel launched a retaliatory military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. More than 40,530 people have been killed there since 7 October, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
