Israelis bring Tel Aviv to standstill in demand for Gaza ceasefire

Demonstrators continued rallies hours after Tel Aviv ordered end to nationwide general strike

An empty waiting area at Ben Gurion International Airport. Israel's largest labour union, Histadrut, called for a nationwide general strike yesterday urged Israeli Prime Minister to reach a deal to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas. EPAShow less

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Tel Aviv came to a standstill on Monday, amid protests in the city and across Israel, together with a general strike involving hundreds of thousands of workers, aimed at pressuring the government to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

Rallies that started on Sunday continued into Monday evening, despite a court order to end the general strike – the first since the war began 11 months ago – early, following a petition by right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He claimed damage to the national economy from the strike “plays into the interests” of Hamas and its leader of Yahya Sinwar.”

The strike, declared by Israel's Histadrut trade union on Sunday, came in response to public fury over the death of six hostages, whose bodies were recovered from Gaza on Saturday.

Hamas said the hostages were killed in “Israeli bombings and other means” in a Monday interview with Al Jazeera, which they later put on their Telegram channel. Israel is “directly responsible” for their deaths, the group said, while Israel has claimed the hostages were shot dead shortly before they were discovered.

“We don’t want Gaza to become our murder,” Tel Aviv protesters chanted to the tune of drums. Others chanted while waving the Israeli flag.

“Get out of Gaza,” they shouted. Nearby, white-collar workers at an open shopping centre courtyard were having lunch, while the heavy traffic in the city was hampered by street cordons to create a zone for the rallies.

“They are right. We should leave Gaza,” one man in his sixties said.

Histadrut represents more than 800,000 workers in sectors including health, transport and banking. It joined opposition leader Yair Lapid and several Israeli municipalities in calling for strike action.

Protests continued despite the labour court in Tel Aviv ordering the strike to end at 2.30pm, more than three hours earlier than planned.

It was further cut after a petition was filed to the Bat Yam labour court, saying the strike was being held for political reasons. The move goes against Histadrut, Israel’s largest trade union, which hoped to strike until 6.30pm.

In Jerusalem, thousands crowded the streets ahead of the funeral of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, while others were set to protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem and his private home in the coastal city of Caesarea.

Speaking at Mr Goldberg-Polin's funeral on Monday afternoon, Israeli President Isaac Herzog “asked for forgiveness” from his family, and called on the international community to do everything to secure a ceasefire deal.

Dr Khalil Al Hayya, who now heads Hamas's negotiation team, said the group had recently sent proof of life to the family of Mr Goldberg-Polin.

“After a while … the Qassam Brigades announced that they had lost contact with him and those guarding him, in a clear indication that he was directly bombed by the Israeli occupation,” Mr Al Hayya said.

Chairman of Histadrut, Arnon Bar-David addressed thousands of demonstrators in Tel Aviv. EPA

Hamas said on Monday it would soon release video footage of the six hostages found over the weekend.

His mother Rachel Goldberg, one of the most vocal hostage parents, said she hoped her son's death “will be a turning point in this horrible situation in which we all find ourselves entangled”.

“Maybe, just maybe your death is the stone, the fuel, that will bring home the remaining hostages,” added father Jon Polin.

Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport was briefly closed to take-offs at 8am, while arrivals operated as usual. Israel's Airport Authority, Israel Ports Company, Haifa Port, Ashdod Port, Eilat Port, Hadera Port, Israel Electric Company and Israel's Postal Service were also on strike, according to local media reports.

Mr Netanyahu has come under increasing pressure to reach a deal with Hamas for the release of the remaining hostages. Relatives and protesters claim the government has not done enough to bring them back alive.

On Sunday, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said his municipality would go on strike from Monday morning until noon, with no public meetings held and workers encouraged to join rallies in an effort to persuade Mr Netanyahu to take action.

During Sunday night's protests in Tel Aviv, marchers passed six symbolic coffins and carried pictures of the hostages killed. Several demonstrators clashed with police while some set fire to tyres and blocked roads.

The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino have been returned to Israel.

They were killed before the Israeli military could reach them, military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

Hamas has offered to release the hostages in return for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants.

Additional reporting by Holly Johnston in Abu Dhabi