Israel is currently experiencing its first countrywide general strike since the Hamas assaults on October 7th, due to widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s management of the conflict in Gaza, triggered by the recent discovery of six hostage bodies. Scores of demonstrators have obstructed Tel Aviv’s Ibn Gvirol Street, calling for the state to negotiate the release of the hostages remaining in Hamas’s custody. They also rallied near Modi’in at Shilat Junction and barricaded a route in Rosh Pina, a northern city.
Estimates by Israeli media suggest that up to half a million people protested on Sunday night across Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other cities, calling on prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to do more to secure the return of the remaining 101 hostages. Officials believe about a third of these captives have already perished. Soldiers recovered the bodies of six of the hostages on Saturday.
A general strike is underway across Israel due to public outrage over the hostage deaths and the unsuccessful ceasefire negotiations. The deaths of the hostages have increased pressure on Netanyahu to establish a ceasefire agreement. The Israeli military reported that the hostages in Gaza were killed shortly before the troops made contact with them, which seems to have strengthened Netanyahu’s hardline stance on the ceasefire.
Some hostages were released during a one-week ceasefire in November, but their families argue that insufficient efforts are being made to liberate those still in captivity. These families have launched a call for a countrywide general strike to compel the government to strike a deal. Following this, Israel’s influential Histadrut trade union ordered a “total strike” commencing at 6am on Monday in solidarity with the hostages. This nationwide strike is likely to significantly disrupt the economy.
Government and city offices, schools, and numerous private businesses are scheduled to close. The international airport of Israel, Ben Gurion, is planned to cease operations at 8am local time for an indefinite duration. All leading banks are allegedly participating, with hospitals operating on a weekend schedule. Early childhood centres are on strike and some schools will shut down later in the morning. Although big shopping centres are closing, smaller food shops and supermarkets are expected to stay open.
Changes to standard scheduling have been announced by Israel’s three main TV news channels, with news and coverage of the hostages’ funerals replacing entertainment programmes.
However, not all regions and businesses are participating in the strike. The Jerusalem municipality has announced that it won’t be joining the strike, and neither will any municipality in the occupied West Bank.
Protests that filled and closed the Ayalon highway, a central motorway in Tel Aviv, occurred on Sunday evening. Demonstrators set a bonfire alight on the road near Hashalom as they sang and banged drums. Despite the considerable effort of numerous police officers, they struggled to regain control and disperse the crowd. The assembly chanted slogans such as: “Who are you safeguarding, officer, officer?” and “Bibi [Netanyahu], you’re causing the death of the hostages.”
Senior officials from Israel have indicated that the country’s leader, Netanyahu, is playing a waiting game. He will reportedly observe the mounting scale of protests before contemplating his next steps as per a statement to the Israeli daily, Haaretz.
Numerous accusers maintain that Netanyahu has set an unrealistic number of stipulations on truce discussions, rendering any potential agreement void. The accusations stem especially from the more extreme right-wing members of his administration. These ministers have threatened to depart from Netanyahu’s coalition if he consents to a ceasefire. This could leave Netanyahu exposed to facing enduring corruption charges.
Meanwhile, the US might retreat from heading the negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire if a definitive “accept or reject” agreement it intends to propose to Israel and Hamas in the following weeks isn’t accepted. According to a high-ranking official from the Biden administration who spoke to the Washington Post, “This process has to conclude at a certain juncture. Endless negotiation is not feasible.”