The main labor group wants to force the government to reach an agreement with Hamas and secure the release of the hostages. The Israeli Finance Minister assures that “they will not allow workers to be used as a weapon to advance political objectives.”
The day of general strike declared for this Monday by Histradut, the most relevant trade union organization in Israel, with the aim of trying to force the government to reach an agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and bring about the release of the abductees It has started with the suspension of flights and the blocking of roads and streets.
From 08:00 AM (05:00 GMT) in the morning, the planes are not taking off from Tel Aviv International Airport. Similarly, Israeli media reports that dozens of people have done so blocked roads and streets in many places in the country.
to the protests have joinedin addition, universities and banksand the hospitals They operate with shorter opening hours that correspond to the weekend. Histadrut has over 800,000 members, but has received the strike the supportFurthermore, the Israeli Business Forumwhich unites the 200 largest companies in the country.
Israel’s Finance Minister, far-right Bezalel Smotrich, has sharply criticized the strike, urging that “the country will not be turned upside down and workers will not be used as weapons to advance its political goals.” In a statement on the social network X, he said he had ordered the Finance Ministry not to pay salaries to civil servants who joined the protests.
Calls for a general strike began a few hours after the attack discovery of the lifeless bodies of six hostages during an Israeli operation in southern Gaza. Israel claimed that these people were executed by Hamas, while the Islamist group claims that They were killed in one of the Israeli bombings about the area.
The deaths of these six hostages increased the anger of relatives and citizens of Israel who took to the streets to demand the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benhamin Netanyahu.
Histadrut President Arnon Bar-David announced the call for a strike and stressed that the release of the abducted people “is the most important thing at this moment”. In his words, the deal is blocked.”due to political considerations“, referring to criticism of Netanyahu, who is accused of constantly obstructing negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza to please his governing partners (the far-right and the ultra-Orthodox).
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
