Thousands of people are protesting across Israel after the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were found by the army on Sunday.
The massive protests came as a major Israeli labor union called for a nationwide general strike on Monday, urging the government to agree to a deal to free the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attacks.
The Histadrut union, which represents some 800,000 members, said the one-day strike would start at 06:00 local time on Monday, adding that Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport would close from 08:00.
Just hours later, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to demand a hostage deal.
In Jerusalem, a huge crowd of protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The rally in the city saw a diverse mix of protesters, with a group of young Boy Scouts leading the chants.
Some climbed onto buses and trash bins to get a good view of the parade, while others surrounded a man wearing a Netanyahu mask, chanting: “Live, live, we want them alive.”
Another held a sign that read: “You are the leader. You are responsible.”
A 50-year-old man told the BBC that the protest was much bigger than any before. “Today is a completely different game,” he said. “A different scale to anything before.”
Among those at the Jerusalem protest was Yotam Peer, 24, whose 21-year-old brother was killed in Hamas attacks on 7 October. He told the BBC: “After we heard about the six hostages, we couldn’t stay silent any longer. It was really important. We had no other choice.
“It’s over the line.”
Protesters also gathered in Tel Aviv, where local media reported that opposition leader Yair Lapid was present. The former prime minister, who heads the Yesh Atid party, had earlier backed calls for mass strikes to force Netanyahu to negotiate the release of the hostages.
Calling for a general strike, union leader Arnon Bar-David said: “We must reach an agreement. An agreement is more important than anything else.”
The families of the hostages have been pushing for a nationwide strike as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire between Netanyahu’s government and Hamas for weeks.
The Hostage Families Forum said the six captives, whose bodies were recovered by Israeli troops, were “murdered over the past few days, after surviving nearly 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation while in Hamas captivity”.
“The delay in signing the agreement led to their deaths and the deaths of many other hostages,” the report said.
The prime minister said he was committed to securing a deal to free the remaining captives and protect the country’s security. But he said: “Anyone who kills hostages – they don’t want a deal.”
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quick to condemn the general strike, claiming it represented “Hamas interests”.
But others have voiced their support. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said city workers were free to join the strike on Monday “as a sign of solidarity with the abductees and their families”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said six bodies were found on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
The IDF identified them as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Sergeant Major Ori Danino.
It is unclear how many hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas kidnapped 251 people and killed 1,200 others in an attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has launched a retaliatory military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. More than 40,530 people have been killed there since October 7, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
