A day after the killing of six hostages in Gaza, Israelis took to the streets to call for an urgent hostage deal. Citing lack of action from the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government, a general strike was announced for Monday which has not only disrupted flight operations in and out of Israel, but also the country's economy.
A general strike was called by Histadrut, which is one of the country's most powerful unions. The union called on Israelis to join in and not work for one day in order to pressure the government to work on a truce deal which would lead to the release of the remaining 100 hostages.
As the strike goes on, flights at Ben Gurion Airport have been disrupted since 8 AM local time. Videos of baggage conveyor belts at a standstill and large numbers of passengers around the check-in desks have surfaced on social media.
Israeli Government Calls For Action Against Protestors
The Israeli government has reportedly filed a court request seeking a ruling against the strike announced by labour union Histadrut.
The petition, filed by PM Netanyahu and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich before the Labour Court, urges the court to declare the strike “announced by the Histadrut chairman, regarding all employees of the state, is not a strike for a collective labor dispute, and is, therefore, a political strike”.
Furthermore, Smotrich has announced that all workers on strike will not be paid.
"I regret that instead of the Histadrut Chairman choosing to support the State of Israel in these difficult times by helping to strengthen the Israeli economy, support businesses, and back reservists, he is effectively fulfilling Sinwar’s dream,” Smotrich said in a statement, accusing the union chairman of supporting Hamas' interests
