Strikes begin after huge anti-government protests erupt in Israel

Pressure is mounting

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 in Hamas captivity,’ the forum said.

‘A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for over two months. Were it not for the delays, sabotage and excuses those whose deaths we learned about this morning would likely still be alive.’

Gideon Levy, a columnist with Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu has been defending the right-wing parties in his government that are against making any deals with Hamas, no matter how beneficial.

‘They [right-wing parties] could not care less about the hostages,’ Levy said.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to blame Hamas for refusing to accept a hostage return deal.

However, these claims have been undermined by security officials who said that Netanyahu’s focus on retaining territory inside Gaza has held up negotiations.

Large-scale protests broke out across Israel, with at least 700,000 people participating, including nearly 550,000 protesters in Tel Aviv. The video shows police deploying water cannons in Tel Aviv in an attempt to disperse protesters. #Israele #Protesta #Hostageagreement pic.twitter.com/yZzwoML816

— Indie Insights Net (@insights_indie) September 2, 2024

Widespread strikes begin

Hoping to apply more pressure on the government, Israel’s largest trades union federation called for a general labour strike.

It announced that Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, would be closed from 8am local time on Monday. The aim is to disrupt or completely halt Israel’s main sectors, including banking and healthcare.

‘A deal is more important than anything else,’ said Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David, announcing the strike. ‘We are no longer one country. This must be stopped. The state of Israel must be returned to normal. We are getting body bags instead of a deal.’

The strike has been backed by Israel’s primary manufacturers and high-profile tech entrepreneurs.

This alliance represents some of the most powerful voices in Israel’s economy, reflecting just how widespread and serious public anger has become following the deaths of the six captives.

Israeli students were sent home from school on Monday, while numerous Tel Aviv restaurants and other private companies shut their doors in solidarity with labour strikes and the remaining hostages.

During the past 11 months, the IDF has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and wounded 94,100 more people in Gaza.

An estimated 1,195 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7^th, while around 250 were taken hostage by the group.

At the moment, it is not clear how many hostages remain in Gaza.