General strike in Israel over hostages leads to uneven closures: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, a Californian killed by a grenade
The war has forced the displacement of the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants and created a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hamas-led fighters killed more than 1,200 people when they entered southern Israel in October. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not say how many were militants.
Israel said Hamas killed all six hostages before they were taken into custody. A cease-fire was discussed in July, and three of them, including an Israeli-American, were expected to be released. The Israeli Health Ministry says the hostages died from gunshots to the head.
He was one of the best-known hostages, and his parents had led a high-profile campaign for the captives’ release, meeting with President Joe Biden, Pope Francis, and addressing the Democratic National Convention last month.
One of the six hostages was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, a native of Berkeley, California, who lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, Hamas issued a video that showed him alive, sparking protests in Israel.
Hamas blamed their deaths on Israel and the United States, accusing them of dragging out the talks by issuing new demands, including for lasting Israeli control over two strategic corridors in Gaza. A deal has been made between Hamas and Israel where they would end the war, free hostages and allow a large number of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
Source: General strike in Israel over hostages leads to uneven closures
Israeli strike on the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel triggered the First World War II: The crisis in Tel Aviv and the fate of Hamas
The main rally that was held in Tel Aviv on Sunday appeared to be the largest demonstration since the beginning of the war. Israeli media estimated that 200,000 to 400,000 took part.
Many municipalities, however, including Jerusalem, were not participating in the strike. Israeli media reported that the state appealed to a labor court to cancel the strike, saying it was politically motivated.
Airlines at Israel’s main international airport Ben-Gurion were halting outgoing flights between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Travelers were seen lining up at check-in counter even though some flights left early or were slightly delayed. The Israel Airports Authority reported that flights continued as usual during that time.
The Histadrut called for a strike on Monday, the first strike since the start of the war. It aims to shut down or disrupt major sectors of the economy, including banking, health care and the country’s main airport.
But others support Netanyahu’s strategy of maintaining relentless military pressure on Hamas, whose Oct. 7 attack into Israel triggered the war. They say it will eventually force the militants to give in to Israeli demands, potentially lead to more successful rescues and ultimately annihilate the group.
The debate about what will happen in Gaza will now be determined by these two reference points. Huge demonstrations in Tel Aviv, coinciding with the heartbreaking funerals of six murdered hostages, have demanded that the prime minister agree to a cease-fire deal to obtain the release of additional hostages, at the cost of conceding one of Hamas’s core demands: an Israeli withdrawal from a strip of land known as the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt. Netanyahu insisted in a news conference on Monday that Israeli forces will not leave.
In the summer of 2006 an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas and held in Gaza. He was released five years later in exchange for a large number of Palestinian security prisoners. The deal, which was approved by Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, included the release of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of Oct. 7.
Jewish tradition states that the redemption of captives is more important than any other thing since the days of Abraham. It is, in a sense, the fulfillment of a primary, implicit commandment: to be one’s brother’s keeper. It’s a source of Jewish communal camaraderie to never abandon those taken, even if only to give them a proper burial.