The fury has been great in Israel after the news that came on Saturday: Six Israeli hostages had been found dead in an underground tunnel shaft south of the Gaza Strip. On Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference. – I said to the families, and I repeat tonight: I ask for forgiveness for not getting them home alive. We were close but couldn’t make it. – Hamas will pay dearly, said the Prime Minister. The Israeli Prime Minister held a press conference on Monday evening. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP / NTB Threatens to return hostages in coffins On Monday evening there was also a statement from the military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam brigade, according to Al Jazeera. – When Netanyahu insists on releasing the prisoners with military pressure, instead of reaching an agreement, it means that they will be returned to their families in coffins, says spokesperson Abu Obeida, reports Al Jazeera. The six hostages found dead over the weekend reportedly begged Netanyahu to strike a deal to free them, according to a video shared by Hamas. It is not known when the video was recorded. Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP General strike paralyzed Israel On Monday evening there were still many people protesting in the streets of Tel Aviv. In the last few days, half a million people have shown their anger and grief after the news of the murdered hostages became known. Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, called for a general strike. The purpose of the strike was to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government to agree to a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, in order to bring home the remaining Israeli hostages. – Jews are murdered in the tunnels in Gaza. An agreement is more important is something else. Instead of an agreement, we get body bags, said Histadrut’s leader Arnon Bar-David. – I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken, said Bar-David. The general strike also hit Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Photo: GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP Employers gave leave to strike Monday morning – after the general strike was well under way – the labor court in Israel delivered its verdict: the strike had to be stopped by 1:30 p.m. Norwegian time. Histadrut organizes around 800,000 workers in a number of sectors. The umbrella organization MAI, which represents the companies that account for around 90 percent of Israel’s industrial production, had also joined the strike. The management of 200 private companies gave their employees time off so that they could demonstrate. So did Mayor Ron Huldai in Tel Aviv. Opposition leader Yair Lapid also came out hard against the government and asked Israelis to show their protest. Opposition leader Yair Lapid participated in the general strike in Israel on 2 September. Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP After the labor court had its say, the leader of Histadrut asked the members to go back to work. At that time, public offices, hospitals, kindergartens, banks and businesses had been closed. Public transport had come to a standstill, as had air traffic at Tel Aviv’s main Ben Gurion airport. Travelers at Ben Gurion Airport had to be patient. Photo: GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP The government asked Israelis to ignore the strike calls. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads an extreme religious party, asked the Israeli Labor Court to stop the general strike, and was heard. Smotrich believes the strike lacked a legal basis and would have major negative economic consequences. In addition, he claimed it will be an advantage for Hamas in the ongoing conflict. The buses are parked in Jerusalem because of the general strike, which calls for a ceasefire to bring home the remaining hostages. Photo: MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP Disagreement over cause of death The Israeli Ministry of Health stated on Sunday that the hostages found dead in Rafah had been shot “several times at close range”. Forensic investigations estimate that the hostages were killed between 48 and 72 hours before they were autopsied, i.e. either Thursday or Friday, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health. Hamas, for its part, denies that the hostages were executed and claims they were killed during an Israeli airstrike, which the Israeli Defense Forces again denies. Of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas attack on October 7, around 100 have still not been released, or taken out. The Israeli Defense Forces believe they know that 33 of them are dead, write the news agencies AFP and Reuters. A Hamas official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that some of the six who were found dead were on the exchange list during a ceasefire. This information has not been verified by an independent third party. Protesters in Tel Aviv show their dissatisfaction with the Israeli government during the general strike Photo: Florion Goga / Reuters Last chance for an agreement? Despite months of negotiations, Israel and Hamas have still not agreed on a new deal that involves a ceasefire and the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Egypt, Qatar and the United States are trying to persuade the parties to agree to the peace plan that US President Joe Biden put forward at the end of May. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the US negotiating team on Monday. One of those found killed in Gaza was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23). Biden and Harris have spoken directly with his parents. Together with the negotiating team, the president and vice president discussed how the US can contribute to advancing an agreement that secures the release of the remaining hostages. A poster with the six killed hostages is displayed in Tel Aviv. The slain Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is pictured at top center. Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP The Washington Post wrote on Monday that what is put on the table during the upcoming round of negotiations will be “take it or leave it” – You cannot continue negotiating forever. At some point you have to put an end to it, says an American official with knowledge of the negotiations. When asked by the press whether Israel’s prime minister is doing enough to secure an agreement on the release of the hostages, Biden briefly answered “No”, without elaborating. Follow the developments in news’s News Centre: Unwilling parties The Israeli prime minister hit back at the US president, with whom he has had a strained relationship for many years, at the press conference on Monday evening. Benjamin Netanyahu said the pressure must be put on Hamas, not him, after the killings of the latest hostages. – And now after this, are we being asked to show more seriousness? Are we being asked for more concessions? What message is that to Hamas? That message is: Kill more hostages, he said. Netanyahu is accused of coaching the ceasefire talks and sacrificing the hostages to fulfill his promise to crush Hamas and save his own government. The prime minister is on a collision course with his own defense minister, the defense generals and the leaders of the country’s intelligence services, who believe the time has come for a ceasefire. Netanyahu’s controversial government partners, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have made it clear that the government’s days are numbered if an agreement is reached with Hamas. Hamas’s new leader Yehiya Sinwar, who is probably still hiding in the Gaza Strip, is known to be at least as stubborn as Netanyahu. According to a former American Middle East envoy, he will probably consider whether the protests and general strike could weaken the Israeli prime minister, according to The Washington Post. Listen to the podcast: Published 09/02/2024, at 08.52 Updated 03.09.2024, at 07.51
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General strike in Israel to pressure the government to conclude a ceasefire – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
