Israelis strike and protest to demand Gaza hostage deal

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By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli protesters took to the streets for a second day on Monday and the largest trade union launched a general strike to press the government to reach a deal to return hostages still held by Hamas, after six more captives were found dead in Gaza.

The strike disrupted transport and medical services in several Israeli districts and many shops and businesses were closed after the head of the Histadrut union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers, called a national stoppage.

The recovery at the weekend of the six hostages, who authorities said were shot dead between just 48-72 hours before being found by Israeli forces, triggered a wave of grief and fury in Israel, prompting at least half a million people to take to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Sunday.

The demonstrators are demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire agreement with Palestinian militant group Hamas to bring the remaining 101 hostages home.

On Monday, thousands again gathered in Tel Aviv, waving blue and white Israeli flags or carrying photographs of hostages.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was close to presenting a final proposal for a deal to release the hostages but said he did not think Netanyahu was doing enough to secure such an agreement.

Professor Yehuda Ullmann, head of the surgery division at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, said Monday’s strike action went against the grain of doctors dedicated to saving patients.

“But we are in a very, very hard situation now, we and all the country, because of the hostages. And yesterday it was maybe the hardest day,” he said. “We can’t stand aside and that’s why we came into a strike.”

Following an intervention by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Labour Court ruled the general strike must end at 2:30 p.m. (1130 GMT), saying the strike had no economic basis and was largely political. Histadrut accepted the ruling and called off the strike.

Later, at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the strike action was shameful during wartime and said it strengthened the hand of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. “It’s like telling him, you murdered six (hostages) and we are with you,” Israeli media quoted the prime minister as saying.

DEEP DIVISIONS

Some services at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, were suspended in the morning, although incoming flights were still landing while bus and light rail services in many areas were either cancelled or only partially functioning.

Workers at Israel’s main commercial port Haifa and some municipalities also went on strike.

Hospitals were only partially operating and banks were not working during the labour action which was backed by several employer groups who allowed their employees to down tools.

The strike and street demonstrations follow months of protests by families representing some of the hostages and underscore the deep divisions that have opened up in Israel over Netanyahu’s approach to securing a ceasefire deal.

Despite pressure from his own defence minister as well as senior generals and intelligence officials, Netanyahu has insisted on maintaining Israeli troops in key points of the Gaza Strip after any ceasefire.

At the funeral of one of the hostages, 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose body was among the six recovered at the weekend, mourners had mixed views about a ceasefire deal.

“It is sad that the hostages are there, and we do want to get them all home … but without endangering the lives of thousands of others again,” said Brian Surasky, 35.

Hamas has rejected any Israeli presence and despite the efforts of Egyptian and Qatari diplomats and repeated visits to the region by senior U.S. officials urging a deal, there has been no sign of a breakthrough in talks.

Hamas militants seized 253 hostages in the Oct. 7 rampage through Israeli communities that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and triggered a relentless Israeli assault that has laid waste to Gaza and killed more than 40,600 Palestinians.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie, Steven Scheer and Emily RoseEditing by Ros Russell)