A massive protest erupted across Israel on Sunday, and a nationwide general strike was called, amid public outrage over the government’s handling of the war in Gaza. The protest came after the bodies of six Israeli hostages were recovered by the military in Gaza.
Thousands of Israelis gathered on the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities to protest against the government and call for a hostage release deal, according to AFP. Shortly afterwards, the head of Israel's powerful Histadrut trade union ordered a "complete strike" on Monday in support of the hostages.
On Saturday, the bodies of the six hostages were recovered from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip. As per a CNN report, an autopsy revealed that they were shot at close range on Thursday or Friday.
The six were among 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war. During a week’s truce in November last year, many were released, but people in Israel say that the government is not doing enough to free the hostages still held.
According to The Guardian, over 100,000 protested in Tel Aviv and others demonstrated in Jerusalem, building pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal and bring the remaining hostages home.
Monday's general strike is the first since March last year, and is expected to bring large parts of Israel’s economy to a halt. Government and municipal offices and many private businesses are expected to be closed, as well as schools. Israel’s international airport, Ben Gurion, is due to shut down at 8 am local time for an unknown amount of time, reported The Guardian
On Sunday night, demonstrators blocked off the Ayalon highway, the motorway that runs through the heart of Tel Aviv. They filled the road and lit a bonfire in the middle lane near Hashalom, while drumming and singing. About a few dozen police officers tried to push back the demonstrators but failed to do so. As per CNN, in the evening, police threw stun grenades at the protesters blocking the Ayalon highway.
Naama Lazimi, a member of Israel’s parliament who was present at the demonstration, said on X that stun grenades “were thrown toward both sides where the demonstrators were standing in complete surprise and without any advance warning".
Police also fired foam from a water cannon at the protesters, according to CNN.
“Officer, officer, who are you protecting?” the crowd reportedly chanted. “Bibi [Netanyahu], you’re killing the hostages.”
In a recorded message, Netanyahu issued a statement and blamed Hamas for refusing to accept a ceasefire deal.
“Whoever murders abductees does not want a deal,” Netanyahu said. “We, for our part, did not let up. The Israeli government is committed, and I am personally committed, to continue striving for a deal that will return all our abductees and guarantee our security and existence," he said, as quoted by The Guardian.
Campaign group Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the only way to bring back the hostages was to negotiate a deal. In its statement, it said a deal for the return of the hostages had been on the table for months.