Tens of thousands of Israelis came to the streets on Sunday night, and a nationwide strike was declared amid widespread popular fury over the government's handling of the Gaza conflict following the deaths of six captives held deep underground by Hamas.
The discovery of the hostages' bodies in Gaza over the weekend threatens to exacerbate long-standing wartime divides. An estimated 100,000 people protested in Tel Aviv, while others marched in Jerusalem, as pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire agreement to return the remaining hostages home reached unprecedented heights.
The outpouring of grief and anger across Israel has been palpable, with many citizens expressing a sense of betrayal by their government. Social media platforms have been flooded with heartbreaking stories of the hostages and their families, further fueling public sentiment. The hashtag #BringThemHomeNow has been trending, with millions of posts calling for immediate action to secure the release of the remaining captives.
The first national strike since March of last year is set to shut down substantial sectors of Israel's economy on Monday. Government and municipal offices, as well as schools and several private companies, were set to close. Israel's international airport, Ben Gurion, is scheduled to close at 8 a.m. local time (0600 BST) for an unknown period.
On Sunday night, activists blocked the Ayalon expressway, which runs through the heart of Tel Aviv. They gathered on the road and built a bonfire in the middle lane near Hashalom, drumming and singing. A few dozen police officers attempted to corral the protest but were unable to push it back.
"Officer, officer, who are you protecting?" The audience chanted, followed by "Bibi [Netanyahu], you're killing the hostages."
On Sunday, Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, wrote to attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara, requesting that she seek an injunction against the strike, claiming that it would harm the economy and had no legal foundation because its primary goal was to influence government policy on state security. In his letter to Baharav-Miara, he stated that these issues are unrelated to labor relations in Israel and have not been the subject of a strike by labor organizations.
The escalating tensions have also drawn international attention, with several world leaders calling for restraint and a renewed focus on diplomatic solutions. The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting to address the crisis, while neighboring countries have expressed concerns about the potential for regional destabilization. Humanitarian organizations have redoubled their efforts to provide aid and support to affected civilians on both sides of the conflict.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were discovered in tunnels "dozens of metres" underground during battle in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The six were apprehended during Hamas' 7 October strikes against Israel.
According to Israel's health ministry, a forensic investigation of the bodies revealed that the hostages were "murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range" 48 to 72 hours before their discovery.
The discoveries pointing to Hamas murders, however, did little to divert widespread anger at Netanyahu and his right-wing government for failing to reach an agreement with Hamas on a hostages-for-peace plan, which has been on the table since late May. In a statement commemorating the six hostages, the prime minister condemned Hamas for refusing to accept the agreement.
"Whoever murders abductees does not want a deal," Netanyahu declared. "We, for our part, did not give up. The Israeli government, and I myself, are determined to continuing to work toward a deal that will release all of our abductees while also ensuring our security and existence."
On Sunday, anonymous briefings to the press by security officials undermined Netanyahu's claims, blaming the failure of hostage negotiations on his insistence on retaining strategic territory inside Gaza, particularly a strip along the Egyptian border known as the Philadelphi corridor.
Yoav Gallant, the defense minister, was the sole government member to vote against Netanyahu's stance on the corridor last week, and he asked on Sunday for the cabinet to rescind its decision.
"It is too late for the hostages who were murdered in cold blood," Gallant added. He additionally stated: "We must bring back the hostages that are still being held by Hamas."
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas leader, blamed the hostages' deaths on Israel and the United States, citing Israel's refusal to adhere to a cease-fire arrangement that Hamas said it accepted. Rishq made no statements regarding how the hostages perished and did not respond to IDF allegations that they were executed.
Agence France-Presse quoted an alleged Hamas source as saying the hostages were "killed by the Israeli occupation's fire and bombing," a claim disputed by the IDF and contradicted by the Israeli health ministry's findings.
The conflicting narratives surrounding the hostages' deaths have further complicated the already tense situation. Independent journalists and human rights organizations have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of their demise. Meanwhile, families of the remaining hostages have intensified their pleas for a swift resolution, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the potential consequences of further delays in negotiations.
Arnon Bar-David, the leader of the Histadrut trade union federation, announced the countrywide strike, saying, "It is impossible to stand by any longer and look the other way while our children are murdered in Gaza's tunnels."
Israeli schools are scheduled to send students home late Monday morning, while several Tel Aviv eateries and other private businesses have announced that they will close in solidarity with the public sector and the hostages. Many protestors on Sunday night hoped that the country had reached a tipping point.
"Today, I woke up and just felt something changed," said Danielle Galber, a 30-year-old PhD student in neuroscience. "I was devastated and angry, and I felt like it had been enough. "Our country is falling apart."
But Galber and her companion, Aaron, believed that Monday's planned countrywide strike would put more pressure on Netanyahu than mere protests. Their workplaces, as well as those of everyone they knew in the commercial and public sectors, would be closed for an unknown period of time. "There's a chance," Aaron said. "It depends on the strike. That might well push him into a hostage situation."
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a group of abductee families who have led the protest campaign, applauded the strike call and called for a cease-fire.
"Starting tomorrow, the country will shake. We call on the public to prepare to bring the country to a halt," the forum stated. "These six persons were captured alive, subjected to captivity, and then brutally murdered. A deal to return the hostages has been on the table for more than two months. Were it not for the delays, sabotage, and excuses, individuals whose deaths we learnt about this morning would probably still be alive."
The impact of the nationwide strike is expected to be far-reaching, with economists predicting significant economic consequences. Financial markets have already shown signs of volatility, with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange experiencing sharp declines in early trading. The prolonged conflict and internal strife have also begun to affect Israel's credit rating, with international agencies expressing concern about the country's fiscal stability and long-term economic outlook.
The Histadrut last declared a countrywide strike in March of last year, in response to Netanyahu's dismissal of Gallant for opposing the prime minister's intentions to curtail the supreme court's autonomy and independence. The walkout paralyzed much of the economy but ended after a few hours when Netanyahu stated that he would postpone his judicial revisions, and roughly two weeks later he reversed his decision to fire Gallant.
While tens of thousands protested in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, hundreds more joined families of hostages in Jerusalem to demonstrate outside Netanyahu's office during a cabinet meeting. The demonstrators then marched to Chords Light Railway Bridge and attempted to block one of the city's key gateways before being forcibly dispersed by police. Sigi Cohen, whose 26-year-old son, Eliya, is one of the captives still in Gaza, stated, "I'm fed up. I want my son to be at home. Enough already. Enough of this policy.
"Eliya, if you hear me, take care of yourself and stay strong. You won't be there much longer." Funerals for the hostages began on Sunday, adding fuel to the public outrage.
"You were abandoned on and on, daily, hour after hour, 331 days," Nira Sarusi said at her son Almog's funeral, when his body was covered in an Israeli flag. "You and so many lovely and pure souls. Enough. No more."
Hamas killed 1,200 people in a surprise strike on Israel in October. According to the Palestinian health ministry's most recent estimate, 40,691 Palestinians were killed during the subsequent battle in Gaza.
Of the 250 Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, eight have been recovered, while more than 100 were released under a previous temporary ceasefire agreement in November. Following the discovery of the six dead, 101 hostages in Gaza remain unaccounted for. The IDF acknowledged that 35 of them died during their more than 10-month imprisonment. Dalia Cusnir's two brothers-in-law, Eitan and Yair Horn, were kidnapped that day and are still in Gaza.
"We're done talking," Cusnir said. "Our family members who are being held hostage cannot wait any more, and the government is clearly not doing anything to promote a deal."
Cusnir praised the general strike, but also urged millions of Israelis to take to the streets in support of a cease-fire, as well as members of Netanyahu's administration who disagree with his policies to oppose him and jeopardize the coalition's sustainability. She dismissed the government's contention that maintaining control of the Philadelphi corridor was a strategic need for Israel.
"All the security chiefs say that in the worst-case scenario, the army knows how to take it back," according to Cusnir. "They call it a strategic thing, but Judaism teaches us that there is only one strategic thing: life. The only thing we cannot lose is ourselves, our ideals, and our soul."
