Massive protests have swept Israel following the execution of six hostages in Gaza at the hands of the Hamas terrorist group.
On Sept. 2, at least 500,000 demonstrated in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other Israeli cities, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to bring home the remaining 101 hostages.
Standstill
On Sept. 1, the head of the Histadrut trade union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers across the economy, called for the 24-hour strike on Sept. 2.“This is not a matter of right or left; it is a matter of life and death. All the heads of the security establishment support the deal, and it is the government’s responsibility to bring our hostages home. It is inconceivable that our children will not return because of narrow considerations and interests.”
Some services at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, were suspended, and workers at Israel’s main commercial port, Haifa, were also on strike. Hospitals were only partially operating, and banks were not open.
In Jerusalem, protesters blocked streets and demonstrated outside the prime minister’s residence, and aerial footage showed Tel Aviv’s main highway filled with people holding flags with pictures of the killed hostages and wearing black T-shirts that read “Bring them home now.”
6 Hostages
Early on Sept. 1, Israel announced that it had discovered the remains of six hostages in Gaza killed by Hamas shortly after an Israeli operation rescued another hostage nearby.The bodies of hostages Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were returned to Israel, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.
A forensic examination determined that they were “murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range” 48 hours to 72 hours earlier, an Israeli health ministry spokesperson said.
Israel’s war in Gaza began after Hamas terrorists killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Urge the Public
Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group set up to bring the hostages back home to their families, wrote on social media platform X: “Yesterday, over half a million people flooded the streets across Israel, demanding an immediate deal.“Today, the hostages’ families once again urge the public to leave the comfort of their homes and take the streets. They call on everyone to continue the fight alongside them for a deal to bring all hostages home.”
“Whoever murders hostages—does not want a deal,” he said.
Netanyahu said that whoever murdered the abductees has “blood on his head.”
“We will hunt and get him,” he said.
Israeli leadership has faced mounting calls for months to accept a deal, although extended negotiations between Israel and Hamas have not brought results.
Senior Hamas officials have blamed Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu is responsible for the killing of Israeli prisoners,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
“The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu and the deal.”