Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday night and a general strike was called for the country amid an eruption of public outrage over the government’s handling of the war in Gaza after the deaths of six hostages being held deep underground by Hamas. The discovery of the hostages’ bodies in Gaza over the weekend threatened to bring tensions over the war to a boiling point.
An estimated 100,000 protesters gathered in Tel Aviv while others demonstrated in Jerusalem as pressure on the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to reach a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home reached a new peak. The first general strike since March last year is expected to bring large parts of Israel’s economy to a halt on Monday. Government and municipal offices were due to close, as well as schools and many private businesses. Israel’s international airport, Ben Gurion, is due to shut down at 8 am local time for an unknown period.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were found in tunnels deep underground during the fighting in Rafah in southern Gaza. The six hostages were seized during Hamas’s attacks on Israel in October. Israel’s health ministry conducted a forensic examination of the bodies which showed that the hostages had been “murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range” 48 to 72 hours before they were found.
The findings pointing to Hamas executions did little to deflect the widespread fury towards Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition for failing to agree on a US-backed hostages-for-peace deal with Hamas. This deal had been on the negotiating table since late May. In a statement mourning the six hostages, Prime Minister Netanyahu blamed Hamas for refusing to accept the deal, stating, “Whoever murders abductees does not want a deal. We, for our part, did not let up. The Israeli government is committed, and I am personally committed, to continue striving for a deal that will return all our abductees and guarantee our security and existence.”
However, Netanyahu’s claims were undermined by anonymous briefings to the press by security officials on Sunday, blaming his insistence on retaining strategic territory inside Gaza for the failure to reach a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations. The defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who was the only government member to vote against Netanyahu’s stance on the corridor, called on the cabinet to reverse its position. He stated, “It is too late for the hostages who were murdered in cold blood. We must bring back the hostages that are still being held by Hamas.”
A senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq, blamed the hostages’ deaths on Israel and the US, pointing to Israel’s failure to agree to a ceasefire deal that Hamas had accepted. Rishq did not elaborate on how the hostages had died and did not comment on IDF suggestions that they had been executed. An unnamed Hamas official claimed that the hostages had been “killed by the [Israeli] occupation’s fire and bombing,” a claim denied by the IDF and contradicted by the Israeli health ministry’s findings.
The announcement of the general strike was welcomed by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a group of relatives of the abductees who have led the protest movement and calls for a ceasefire deal. They stated, “Starting tomorrow the country will tremble. We call on the public to prepare to bring the country to a standstill. These six individuals were taken alive, endured the horrors of captivity, and were then coldly murdered. 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.”
Protesters in Tel Aviv used megaphones to chant slogans during an anti-government rally, while thousands of demonstrators joined the families of hostages in Jerusalem to protest outside Netanyahu’s office during a cabinet meeting. The demonstrators then marched to Chords light railway bridge and tried to block one of the main entrances to the city until they were forcibly dispersed by police.
Funerals began for the hostages on Sunday, adding more fuel to the popular anger. Nira Sarusi, who lost her son Almog, expressed her frustration, stating, “You were abandoned on and on, daily, hour after hour, 331 days. You and so many beautiful and pure souls. Enough. No more.”
Hamas killed 1,200 people in its surprise attack on Israel in October, leading to a war in Gaza that has resulted in the deaths of 40,691 Palestinians, according to the latest estimate by the Palestinian health ministry. Of the 250 Israeli hostages seized on October 7th, eight have been rescued and more than 100 were released in an earlier temporary ceasefire deal in November. The discovery of the six bodies leaves 101 hostages still unaccounted for in Gaza. The IDF has confirmed that 35 of them are known to have died during the more than 10 months of captivity.
Dalia Cusnir, whose two brothers-in-law are among the hostages still in Gaza, expressed her frustration with the government’s inaction. She stated, “We’re done talking. 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 welcomed the general strike but also called for millions of Israelis to come out in the streets to support a ceasefire and for members of Netanyahu’s government who do not agree with his policies to stand up to him.
The anger and frustration among the Israeli public are palpable as they demand action from their government to secure the release of the remaining hostages and bring an end to the violence in Gaza. The general strike and mass protests signal a turning point in the Israeli public’s patience with the government’s handling of the situation, highlighting the urgent need for a resolution to the ongoing conflict.