Thousands protest, airport to close, general strike called, demanding the return of hostages

Ben-Gurion Airport will be closed from 8 a.m. Monday, and there will be a widespread strike calling to bring the hostages home, Histadrut labor federation head Arnon Bar-David announced Sunday as hundreds of thousands took to the streets.

The strike and protests follow the announcement that the bodies of six hostages had been retrieved from Gaza.

“Tomorrow, starting at 6 a.m., Israel’s economy will stop,” said the federation head. “I will not stand for the abandonment.”

The announcement was made as thousands protested around the country, calling to bring the hostages home and protesting the abandonment of the hostages.

In Jerusalem, thousands gathered to protest outside the security cabinet meeting, and protesters blocked the entrance to Jerusalem.

In Tel Aviv, huge crowds marched to a main stage outside the Kirya military headquarters holding coffins, where they joined a crowd of hundreds of thousands to listen to hostage families and others speak.

Protesters also blocked the Ayalon Highway.

Thousands of protesters gathered at dozens of locations nationwide, according to organizers, and people had also gathered at junctions and blocked intersections Sunday morning.

A number of law firms announced that they would stand by the hostage families and protesters as they go out to protest.

“Police violence towards hostage families and protesters is breaking records right as the horrible news breaks all of our hearts,” they said.

Representatives from the firms will offer free aid to protesters hurt by police and will take legal action against officers who use illegal force.

“We demand that the police act in accordance with the law and avoid any unnecessary use of force.”

The teachers union joined the labor union’s strike, saying schools will operate only until 11:45 Monday, except for special education schools, which will operate as normal. In response, the Education Ministry said that all teaching staff must work as normal.

The head of the Bar Association, Amit Becher, welcomed Bar-David’s decision and said that the association would join the strike.

“I call on all lawyers to strike tomorrow and join the protest, and the public to demand to bring home all the hostages,” said Becher.

Strike in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai announced that his municipality would strike on Monday and called on workers and the public to take to the streets.

“Israel’s government abandoned [the six hostages killed], but we are the State of Israel,” he said.

The Herzliya Municipality announced that it would cancel cultural events Sunday night and that its employees would go to Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Monday, meaning there will not be service for the public on Monday.

The Even Yehuda Regional Council will not have reception hours Monday and will allow its workers to gather in Hostage Square in solidarity with the hostage families, council head Matan Katzman said.

Israel’s Business Forum, which says it includes 200 of the heads of the biggest companies, joined the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s call to protest.

The forum called on the public to “not stand by considering the daily loss of life and abandonment of the hostages to their deaths when, according to all security bodies, they could have been saved.”

Lev Cinemas announced that it would close its theaters from 5 p.m. Sunday, as a sign of unity with the hostage families, N12 reported.

The forum welcomed the Histadrut strike.

“The social, economic, and local leadership in Israel is saying the people’s message: Deal now!” the forum said.

This leadership is proving itself by “standing by the side of the hostage families, the public, and the values of solidarity and mutual responsibility,” it added.

The Tikva (Hope) Forum, which represents some family members of hostages and pushes for increased military pressure as a way to bring the hostages back, came out against the strike.

The strike is “a death sentence for the remaining living hostages and a prize to [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar for murdering six hostages.”

The Tikva Forum called on the public to break the strike and show up for work.

Last year, Bar-David famously called a general strike the day after “Gallant Night,” the night of intense protests that followed the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during protests over the judicial reform.

Following mass protests and the strike, the firing was eventually retracted, and the events set off a chain reaction that led to a cessation of the reform in favor of negotiations at the President’s Residence.

That strike had an estimated cost of NIS 2.5 billion, Ynet reported, adding that the estimated lost national product of a general strike in which the entire economy shuts down is NIS 5.8b. per day.

Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.