Israel to hold nationwide general strike amid anger over failed hostage talks
Israel is braced for its first nationwide general strike since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, amid widespread public anger at the government’s handling of the war in Gaza after the discovery of the bodies of six hostages at the weekend.
Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, ordered a nationwide general strike from 6am on Monday that is expected to bring large parts of the economy to a halt. 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 8am local time (0600 BST) for an unknown period.
Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David said in a statement: “I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken.
“A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable.”
The mayors of Tel Aviv and nearby Givatayim announced that the municipalities would be striking on Monday to demand the return of the hostages, and more are expected to follow suit.
The action comes after tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday night, cutting off the Ayalon highway, the motorway running through the heart of Tel Aviv and lighting fires in the streets. A few dozen police officers tried to contain the protest but were unable to push it back.
The union called the strike after campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum backed the idea in order to force the government to reach a deal for the return of the remaining hostages taken during Hamas’ attacks on 7 October. Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, also supported the move.
Key events
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory note on Monday that a merchant vessel has been hit by two unknown projectiles 70 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Saleef.
The agency said damage control was underway and that a third explosion occurred in close proximity to the vessel, but that there were no casualties on board, according to Reuters.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
In one recent attack they set a Greek-registered oil tanker, carrying one million barrels of crude oil, on fire in the Red Sea. A salvage operation was set to begin last week but if a spill occurs it could be among the largest in recorded history and in an area that is particularly difficult to access.
11 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on school housing displaced people, official says
Gaza health officials said an Israeli air strike targeting a group of policemen in a school sheltering displaced Palestinians killed at least 11 people on Sunday.
“Eleven people, including a woman and girl, were killed when an Israeli air strike struck the Safad school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people,” civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding several people were also wounded.
The Israeli military claimed its air force had struck a Hamas command centre in the Safad school.
“The IAF struck Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the area that previously served as the Safad school in Gaza City,” the military said in a statement.
Who is on strike in Israel?
The general strike is now underway in part of Israel, though not all areas and businesses are observing it.
Municipalities including Tel Aviv, Givatayim, Herzliya, Raanana, Kfar Saba and Hod Hasharon are taking part in the strike while others including Netanya and Sderot will hold solidarity strikes of several hours, local media reported. The municipality of Jerusalem has said it will not take part in the strike and nor will any municipality in the occupied West Bank.
All major banks are reportedly taking part while hospitals are running at weekend capacity. Pre-schools are striking while some schools will close in the late morning. Smaller food shops and supermarkets are expected to remain open though big shopping malls are closing.
Israel’s three major TV news channels – 11, 12 and 13 – announced changes to regular scheduling, replacing entertainment programmes with news and coverage of the hostages funerals.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport is closing between 8am and 10am, the Jerusalem Post reported, though this will not affect incoming flights. In Tel Aviv the light rail will come to a halt as will Haifa’s underground Carmelit railway. Major bus companies Egged, Dan and Metropolin are taking part.
Many private businesses including cinemas and restaurants are expected to close their doors.
The US could walk away from leading the Gaza ceasefire negotiations if the two sides fail to accept a final “take it or leave it” deal that it plans to present to Israel and Hamas in the coming weeks, the Washington Post has reported citing a senior Biden administration official.
“You can’t keep negotiating this. This process has to be called at some point,” the official said according to the Post. The Guardian could not independently verify the report.
The US paper said Washington had been discussing the deal with fellow mediators Qatar and Egypt since before the six dead Israeli hostages were discovered in a tunnel underneath Rafah on Saturday.
Biden officials said it was not immediately clear what effect their deaths would have on the negotiations.
The senior official quoted by the post said it should add urgency to the talks. “Does it derail the deal? No. If anything, it should add additional urgency in this closing phase, which we were already in,” they were quoted as saying.
On Sunday night, demonstrators cut off the Ayalon highway, the motorway running through the heart of Tel Aviv. They filled the road and lit a bonfire in the middle lane near Hashalom, drumming and singing. A few dozen police officers tried to contain the protest but were unable to push it back.
“Officer, officer, who are you protecting?” the crowd chanted, and then: “Bibi [Netanyahu], you’re killing the hostages.” Here are some pictures from last night’s protests:
Israel to hold nationwide general strike amid anger over failed hostage talks
Israel is braced for its first nationwide general strike since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, amid widespread public anger at the government’s handling of the war in Gaza after the discovery of the bodies of six hostages at the weekend.
Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, ordered a nationwide general strike from 6am on Monday that is expected to bring large parts of the economy to a halt. 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 8am local time (0600 BST) for an unknown period.
Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David said in a statement: “I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken.
“A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable.”
The mayors of Tel Aviv and nearby Givatayim announced that the municipalities would be striking on Monday to demand the return of the hostages, and more are expected to follow suit.
The action comes after tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday night, cutting off the Ayalon highway, the motorway running through the heart of Tel Aviv and lighting fires in the streets. A few dozen police officers tried to contain the protest but were unable to push it back.
The union called the strike after campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum backed the idea in order to force the government to reach a deal for the return of the remaining hostages taken during Hamas’ attacks on 7 October. Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, also supported the move.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Gaza and the wider Middle East crisis.
Israel is set to hold a nationwide general strike on Monday as part of efforts to pressure the government to strike a hostage deal with Hamas, two days after the bodies of six Israeli hostages were discovered in a tunnel underneath Gaza.
Crowds estimated by Israeli media to number up to 500,000 demonstrated in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to bring home the remaining 101 hostages, about of a third of whom Israeli officials estimate have died.
Scores were released during a one-week truce in November, but relatives believe not enough is being done to free those still held.
Campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said a negotiated “deal for the return of the hostages” was urgently needed. “Were it not for the delays, sabotage and excuses” in months of mediation efforts, the six hostages “would likely still be alive”, a statement said.
The families called for a nationwide general strike to force the government to reach a deal.
Shortly afterwards, the head of Israel’s powerful Histadrut trade union ordered a “complete strike” beginning at 6am (0300 GMT) on Monday in support of the hostages. 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 8am local time (0600 BST) for an unknown period.
At least 40,738 Palestinians have been killed and 94,154 injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, its health ministry said on Sunday. The count, which doesn’t include the thousands thought to be buried under the rubble, includes thousands of Palestinian children.
In other developments:
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Israeli forces continued their deadly offensive on the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, and its refugee camp for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday. The total number of Palestinians killed since Israeli forces began large-scale raids in the northern West Bank on Wednesday is now 24, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israeli forces and settlers have killed almost 680 Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 October, including about 150 children.
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Three Israeli police officers were killed after their vehicle was shot at near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military later confirmed it had killed the suspected attacker.
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Gaza health officials said an Israeli airstrike targeting a school sheltering displaced Palestinians killed at least 11 people on Sunday. “Eleven people, including a woman and girl, were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck the Safad school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people,” civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding several people were also wounded. The Israeli military claimed it had struck a Hamas command centre.
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Palestinian health authorities and UN agencies have begun a large-scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip. More than 150,000 Palestinians in Gaza are estimated to be affected by infectious conditions such as dysentery, pneumonia and severe skin diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel and its destruction of health facilities as part of its campaign against Hamas.
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The head of the Christian political party Lebanese Forces on Sunday accused Hezbollah of dragging the country into a war with Israel without consulting the people. In a speech attacking the Shiite Muslim group, Samir Geagea, who heads the main Christian bloc in parliament, accused Hezbollah of “confiscating the Lebanese people’s decision on war and peace, as if there were no state”.