Protests Erupt, Strikes Planned in Israel After Hostage Deaths

Thousands of protesters lift flags and placards during a rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza since October, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sept. 1, 2024. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Protests have erupted and Israelis are planning workers’ strikes in the wake of the discovery of the bodies of six hostages apparently murdered by the Hamas terrorist group.

Early on Sunday, Israel announced that it had discovered the remains of six hostages in Gaza killed shortly after an Israeli operation rescued another hostage nearby.

Israelis are planning wide-scale protests to push the government to accept a cease-fire deal to return the remaining hostages.

The largest of these has been announced by the Histradut, Israel’s largest labor union, who called for a strike to begin at 6 a.m Israel Standard Time. The strike is expected to impact a broad swath of major sectors of Israel’s economy, including banking and healthcare.

One of the biggest impacts of the strike will be seen at Ben Gurion Airport, the nation’s primary airport outside Tel Aviv, which plans to stop arrivals and departures starting at 8 a.m. Israel Standard Time due to the strike.

It’s the first such strike by the group since immediately after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that began the current conflict.

Another major protest has been called by the Hostage and Missing Persons Families Forum, a hostage advocacy group to be held at 7 p.m. Israel Standard Time at the Begin Gate in Tel Aviv.

“If we look the other way, if we won’t step up, if we won’t speak for them, more hostages will die!” the group said in a post on X announcing the protests.

“After 11 months of neglect of 107 hostages, the Hostages Families Forum call on the public to join a massive demonstration, demanding a complete halt of the country and the immediate implementation of a deal to release the hostages,” the organization said in a separate statement explaining their demands.

The Israeli war cabinet also faced protests as it met in Jerusalem following the discovery of the hostages, with protesters chanting, “The blood of the hostages is on your hands.”

According to the Israeli military, the remains were discovered in a tunnel in Rafah. A military spokesperson has said that they are confident that the hostages were killed by Hamas.

The most well-known casualty is Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents mounted a high-profile effort to have their son released, including by speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Goldberg-Polin was earlier caught on footage with his left hand removed, prompting an outcry of support for a cease-fire from Israeli citizens.

Goldberg-Polin was among the many kidnapped from an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, 2023.

Other casualties also kidnapped from the festival include Ori Danino, 25, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 27, and Alexander Lobanov, 33. A sixth hostage, Carmel Gat, 40, was abducted from the nearby community of Be'eri.

Following the discovery of the remains, Israel vowed to retaliate.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the discovery of the hostages harms the prospect of a deal with Hamas to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Netanyahu condemned the killings as having been carried out in “cold blood,” writing in a post to X that, “Anyone who kills our captives does not want a deal.”

Israeli leadership has faced mounting calls to accept a deal for months, although extended negotiations between Israel and Hamas have not brought results.

With Netanyahu’s indication that the discovery of the hostages puts a cease-fire deal even further out of reach, it’s unclear how the government will respond to renewed pressure from Israeli protesters.