Israel Labour Union Calls For General Strike Over Hostage Deaths
Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, representing about 80,000 workers has announced a general strike for Monday.
The move comes in response to the recent recovery of the bodies of six hostages, including a young Israeli-American man, Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23), held by Hamas as reported by THE WHISTLER.
The strike will bring the country to a standstill, with all flights halted at the international airport, and significant disruptions expected in healthcare, transportation, and banking.
Histadrut’s call for a general strike is aimed at forcing the government to reach a deal to bring home the remaining hostages. This would be the first general strike since the Hamas attack on October 7.
Many Israelis blame Prime Minister Netanyahu for failing to secure their release alive. The hostages were recovered from a tunnel in Gaza, with the military saying they had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces. Negotiations over such a deal have dragged on for months.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed, despite growing public pressure to reach a deal to bring home the remaining hostages, stating that military pressure is needed to bring home the hostages.
The protests are expected to intensify in the coming days, with families of hostages calling for a “complete halt of the country” to push for a cease-fire and hostage release.
“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,” it said in a statement.
Hamas had offered to release the hostages in return for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the hostages would still be alive if Israel had accepted a U.S.- backed cease-fire proposal that Hamas said it had agreed to back in July.
The international community, including US President Joe Biden, has condemned Hamas for the killings and called for the release of the remaining hostages.
“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages,” Biden said while meeting with Goldberg-Polin’s parents.
Israel Labour Union Calls For General Strike Over Hostage Deaths is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
