In a dramatic escalation of public unrest, Israel’s streets are set to be filled with silence and inactivity, ‘echoing’ a somber rhythm of desperation and anger.
Numerous strikes have been called for after six more captives were found dead in Gaza.
This is going to impact a broad spectrum of industries in Israel as the airport, transportation, schools and private sectors – technology, mechanics, manufacturing – are getting involved.
As six more captives were found dead in Gaza, the national mood shifted from hope to despair, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, found himself at the center of a storm that threatens to unravel his political career.
The discovery ignited one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in Israel since the Gaza war began nearly 11 months ago as tens of thousands of Israelis hit the streets on Sunday night.
The protesters demanded that Netanyahu reach a ceasefire with Palestinian group Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.
Many Israelis blocked roads in Tel Aviv and demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s office in West Jerusalem.
In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of captives held in Gaza, said the death of the six hostages was the direct result of Netanyahu’s failure to secure a deal to halt the fighting and bring their loved ones home.
“They were all murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation in Hamas captivity,” the forum said.
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued a video statement saying that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu chose to maintain troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and the Gaza Strip rather than getting Israeli captives back alive.
The video addressed the Israeli army: “What kind of heroism is this? And you are retrieving them as corpses after deliberately killing them? Indeed, they were alive and were supposed to be released in the first phase of the [ceasefire] deal.”
Israel’s Government Profoundly Detrimental To Israelis
Israeli political commentator, Ori Goldberg noted that the death of the six hostages, “which apparently came right before the military forces converged on them, proves to many Israelis that the ‘military pressure’ – as the Prime Minister calls it – is instrumental in killing the hostages, rather than rescuing them.”
“What has really been driven home today is the understanding that the policy of Israel’s government is profoundly detrimental to Israelis – and perhaps, in the case of the hostages, even lethal.”
Ori Goldberg
Goldberg said that the Netanyahu government is now on the defensive after the deaths of six captives in Gaza, some of whom were set to be freed under a ceasefire plan.
He expressed that everything about the demonstrations, the scope of the protests and the general vibe tells him that “it’s different.”
According to Goldberg, the anti-government demonstrations in Israel are markedly different than previous protests throughout the war.
“The people who have been demonstrating for the hostages up until now … [were] generally perceived to be somewhat similar to the people who had been protesting against Netanyahu for a year before the war broke out, which means demonstrations were classified as political.
“That has shifted within the last 24 hours because Israel’s two stated goals of the war – returning the captives and destroying Hamas – no longer seem complementary to Israeli public opinion.
Ori Goldberg
He added that Israeli citizens have realised the six captives’ deaths could have been avoided and the Israeli military “is running around like a headless chicken.”
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