A major Israeli trade union has called for a nationwide strike on Monday after the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were recovered.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Sunday as pressure mounted on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to return the remaining hostages.
“We are getting body bags instead of a deal,” said Arnon Bar-David, chairman of the Histadrut, which represents about 800,000 members.
He called on workers to hold a one-day strike from 6 a.m. local time on Monday and said Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport would be closed from 8 a.m.
Relatives of the hostages are calling for a nationwide strike as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between the Netanyahu government and Hamas.
Mr Netanyahu said he was determined to reach a deal that would release the remaining prisoners and ensure the country’s security.
But he said, “Whoever kills hostages doesn’t want a deal.”
According to the Hostages Families Forum, all six prisoners “have been killed in recent days, after surviving nearly 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation in Hamas captivity.”
“The delay in signing the agreement led to their deaths and those of many other hostages,” the report said.
Mr Bar-David said: “We have to reach a deal. A deal is more important than anything else.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the six bodies were found on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
According to the IDF, 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 October 7, 2023.
Israel has launched a military campaign of retaliation against Hamas in Gaza, killing more than 40,530 people since Oct. 7, according to the territory’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.
