The head of Israel’s Histadrut labour union, which represents hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, has called for a general strike beginning at 6am (03:00 GMT) tomorrow, Monday, September 2, 2024, to pressure the government into reaching a deal to return Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
This came after the bodies of six Israeli hostages were brought back to Israel from Gaza.
Arnon Bar-David called on all civilian workers to join the strike and said that Ben Gurion airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, would be closed from 8am (05:00 GMT).
“Jews are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza. It is impossible to grasp and has to stop,” he was quoted as saying at a press conference.
“We are getting body bags instead of a deal. I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention might move those who need to be moved.
“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.”
Arnon Bar-David
Prior to this, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a hostage family organisation, called on the public “to join a massive demonstration, demanding a complete shutdown of the country.”
Israel’s Manufacturers’ Association said that it supported a strike and criticised the government for failing to bring hostages back alive, which it called a “moral duty.”
Its head, Ron Tomer, said, “Without the return of the hostages we will not be able to end the war, we will not be able to rehabilitate ourselves as a society and we will not be able to begin to rehabilitate the Israeli economy.”
“We are torn and divided and this is the place to act to unite Israeli society.
“The government must ensure that it does everything, for the return of the hostages as soon as possible, even under the limitations of a limited ceasefire, and I call on all businesses in Israel to act to make it happen.”
Ron Tomer
Tel Aviv municipality services will also participate in a half-day strike on Monday in solidarity with hostages and their families.
The strike will be in tandem with several municipalities across Israel such as Kfar Saba and Givatayim.
Tel Aviv Mayor, Ron Huldai confirmed this in an X post.
“As a sign of solidarity with the abductees and their families, the municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa joins the strike. Tomorrow, starting in the morning until noon, there will be no public reception and we will allow all female and male employees to go out and support the families’ struggle. Take to the streets.”
Ron Tomer
Israel Confirms Deaths Of Six Hostages Taken In October 7 Attack
Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters in a briefing that the bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino have been returned to Israel.
“According to our initial estimation, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short time before we reached them,” he said.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not rest until it caught those responsible.
“Whoever murders hostages – does not want a deal,” he said.
The Israeli Prime Minister told Hamas leaders that “we will hunt you down, we will catch you and we will settle the score”.
Senior Hamas officials said that Israel, in its refusal to sign a ceasefire agreement, was to blame for the deaths. An unnamed Hamas official was quoted as saying the hostages had been “killed by the [Israeli] occupation’s fire and bombing”, a claim denied by the Israeli army.
The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said that he was “horrified at the murder of 6 Israeli hostages of Hamas.”
“These young innocent men and women should have long been brought to safety and to their loved ones,” Borrell said on X, calling for a ceasefire and return of the remaining hostages.
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