Israeli labor union Histadrut has called for a nationwide general strike after the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were recovered.
Arnon Bar-David, chairman of the Histadrut, representing around 800,000 members, stated that the bodies were “body bags instead of a deal.” He called on workers to stage a one-day walkout from 06:00 local time on Monday, and 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.
Families of the hostages have been pushing for a nationwide strike as part of efforts to get a ceasefire agreement between Netanyahu’s government and Hamas.
The Hostages Families Forum stated 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.” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai announced that municipal workers are free to join Monday’s strike “as a sign of solidarity with the abductees and their families.”
Thousands of people began descending on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to take part in a mass demonstration to demand a ceasefire. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the six bodies were located in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
(BBC)
