The head of Israel's largest trade union called for a general strike on Monday to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to repatriate Israeli hostages still held by "Hamas" in Gaza, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Israeli soldiers have discovered the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel in southern Gaza, where they were apparently killed shortly before Israeli troops reached the site. This information caused fury and grief among Israelis.
The call for a one-day general strike by Arnon Bar-David, whose trade union "Histadrut“ representing hundreds of thousands of workers, was supported by major Israeli manufacturers and entrepreneurs from the high-tech sector.
The rallying of some of the most powerful voices in the Israeli economy reflects the scale of public anger over the deaths of the six hostages, who were among about 250 people captured by Hamas fighters. on October 7 last year, notes Reuters.
"We need to reach an agreement (on the return of the surviving hostages). The deal is more important than anything else," Bar-David said at a press conference. "We get body bags instead of a deal.“
Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main air transport hub, will be closed from 8am on Monday, he said.
Municipal offices in Israel's economic hub Tel Aviv will also be closed for half of tomorrow.
The Israeli Manufacturers Association said it supported the strike and accused the government of failing in its "moral duty” to return the hostages alive.
„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 rebuild the Israeli economy,” said the head of the association, Ron Tomer.