The main trade union group wants to force the government to reach an agreement with Hamas and secure the release of the hostages. Israel’s finance minister says that “they will not allow workers to be used as weapons to achieve political gains.”
The day of general strike called for this Monday by Histradut, the most relevant union organization in Israel, with the aim of trying to force the government to reach an agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and achieve the release of the kidnapped people has begun with flight suspensions and blocked roads and streets.
Since 08:00 hours (05:00 GMT) in the morning, the planes don’t take off from Tel Aviv International Airport. Israeli media also reported that dozens of people have been killed blocked roads and streets in many of the country’s localities.
To the protests have joinedbesides, universities and banksand the hospitals are operating on reduced weekend hours. Histadrut has more than 800,000 members, but the strike has received the supportin addition, the Israel Business Forumwhich brings together the 200 largest companies in the country.
Israel’s finance minister, the far-right Bezalel Smotrich, has strongly criticised the strike, saying that “they will not allow the country to be turned upside down and workers to be used as weapons to achieve their political goals.” In a statement on the social network X, he said he had ordered the Treasury not to pay the salaries of public employees who joined the protests.
Calls for a general strike began a few hours after the 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 died in one of the Israeli bombings about the area.
Histadrut President Arnon Bar-David announced the strike, stressing that the release of the hostages “is the most important thing right now.” In his words, the agreement is blocked.for political considerations“, referring to the criticism levelled at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of constantly obstructing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza to satisfy his government partners (far-right and ultra-Orthodox).
Source: Eitb
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