Israeli trade union calls for strike to pressure Netanyahu over captives’ deal

Israel's largest trade union called a general strike to pressure the regime's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his war cabinet for a cease-fire in Gaza after Israel military found the bodies of six captives held in the besieged Palestinian territory

In a statement released on Sunday, Arnon Bar-David, the head of Israel’s Histadrut union ordered a "complete strike" in support of captives.

He called on all workers to join the strike and said main Ben Gurion airport would be closed from Monday morning.

"Starting tomorrow at six in the morning, the entire Israeli economy will go on complete strike." As part of the strike "all take-offs and landings at Ben Gurion airport will stop from 8:00 am (0500 GMT)," David said.

“We need to reach a deal, a deal that is more important than anything else. A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable.”

 “We must stop the abandonment of the captives… I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken,” the statement read. 

Thousands of anti-regime protesters gather outside Netanyahu's home

Thousands of anti-regime protesters have marched in al-Quds and gathered outside prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The Histadrut represents some 800,000 workers in such areas as health care, transportation and banking

The strike is aimed at persuading Israel's regime to reach a deal to bring home the remaining captives.

Hamas says Israeli airstrikes killed six captives in southern Gaza

A high-ranking Hamas official states that the six Israeli captives recently found inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah were killed as a result of ongoing Israeli airstrikes against the coastal sliver.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military announced it had recovered the bodies of six captives from a tunnel in Gaza, sparking anger and grief among Israelis against Netanyahu’s regime.

This would be the first general strike since Israel launched its campaign of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip in early October last year.

A general strike last year during Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul helped lead to a temporary delay in the plan.

Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for failing to bring them back alive in a deal with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas to end the aggression.

Negotiations over such a deal have dragged on for several months.

Truce possible, but Netanyahu ‘does not want to end war’: Ex-Israeli negotiator

A truce deal to end the Israeli regime’s months-long onslaught on Gaza can be reached with Hamas but prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “does not want to end the war,” says a former Israeli negotiator.

Hamas has offered to release the hostages in return for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners.

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, says the six Israeli captives found dead were killed in Israeli airstrikes against the besieged coastal territory.

He also said the hostages would still be alive if Israel had accepted a mediated cease-fire proposal that Hamas said it had agreed to back in July.

Netanyahu has taken a tough line in Gaza ceasefire negotiations and repeatedly said that military pressure is needed to bring home the captives.

The US-Israeli genocide in Gaza continues with no end in sight as the regime presses ahead with its air and artillery strikes across the besieged strip.

The Israeli aggression against Gaza began last October.

Since then, nearly 40,700 people have been killed and over 94,000 others injured.

 Hunger, malnutrition and lack of medical supplies are also taking a heavy toll on Gaza.

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