Israel has been brought to a standstill by a general strike after a night of angry protests over Netanyahu’s failure to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas

Israel is on nationwide strike after protests broke out across the country over Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to reach a deal with Hamas over the release of hostages.

The unions announced the strike on Sunday, which broke out today, causing Israel to experience massive disruptions and closures, including at the international airport.

The strike was called after the bodies of six hostages kidnapped during the October 7 massacre were found in a tunnel in Gaza on Saturday.

On Sunday, Israel’s largest labor union, the Histadrut, called for a general strike on Monday, hoping to paralyze and disrupt key sectors of the economy, including banking, health care and the country’s main airport.

Airlines at Israel’s main international Ben-Gurion Airport halted outbound flights between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., with footage from the scene showing crowds of people waiting for updates alongside their luggage.

According to the Israel Airports Authority, outbound flights left early or were slightly delayed, while incoming flights operated normally during that period.

Banks, some major shopping malls and government buildings were closed due to the strike and public transport was limited.

Municipalities in Israel’s densely populated central region, including Tel Aviv, joined the strike, leading to shorter school hours and cancellations of public daycares and preschools.

At a press conference following a meeting with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Arnon Bar-David, the head of the Histadrut Labor Federation, announced the strike.

He said: ‘Jews are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza. It is impossible to comprehend and must stop.’

He continued chillingly: ‘We get body bags instead of a deal. I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can move those who need to be moved.

‘I call on the Israeli people to take to the streets tonight and tomorrow and let everyone participate in the strike.

‘It is impossible to continue to stand by and ignore how our children are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza… an agreement must be reached, and an agreement is more important than anything else.

“That is why I have decided that starting tomorrow the entire Israeli economy will go on strike.”

Due to the nationwide strike, restaurants, cinemas and other popular venues must close early today.

A major Israeli law firm has also said it will support the protests by providing legal representation to anyone attacked by Israeli police during their activism.

The mayor of Tel Aviv openly supported the strike, saying in a message on X that the municipality will join tomorrow’s action.

Ron Huladi accuses the Israeli government of “abandoning” the six hostages whose bodies were found in Gaza, adding that the planned attack is a “sign of solidarity” with the victims and their families.

He called on people to take to the streets of Tel Aviv from morning to afternoon.

However, many municipalities, including Jerusalem, did not join the strike. Israeli media reported that the state appealed to a labor court to cancel the strike, saying it was politically motivated.

The move follows Sunday’s mass demonstrations, which were reportedly the largest since the war began. Organizers estimated that some 500,000 people took part in nationwide events and the main demonstration in Tel Aviv.

Tens of thousands of distraught Israelis took to the streets overnight, blocking roads and carrying posters demanding that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu reach an agreement to return the remaining 100 hostages held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Netanyahu has promised “total victory” over Hamas and blamed Hamas for the failure of negotiations, which have dragged on for much of this year.

Israel said Hamas killed all six hostages shortly before Israeli forces arrived at the tunnel where they were being held.

Three of them, including an Israeli-American, were reportedly set to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire proposal discussed in July. However, Israel’s Health Ministry said autopsies showed the hostages had been shot at close range and died on Thursday or Friday.

Netanyahu blamed Hamas, saying that “whoever kills hostages doesn’t want a deal.” But senior Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said Israel, by refusing to sign a ceasefire, was responsible for the deaths.

The Israeli military released the names of the deceased: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Carmel Gat, 39, Almog Sarusi, 26, Alex Lubnov, 26, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino, 25.

They were among 251 hostages captured by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack on southern Israel. According to the Times of Israel, autopsies revealed that the hostages were killed in the past 48 hours.

Goldberg-Polin, 23, of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, Hamas released a video of him alive, sparking protests in Israel.

He was one of the highest-profile hostages, and his parents had led a high-profile campaign for the prisoners’ release, meeting with President Joe Biden and Pope Francis and speaking at the Democratic National Convention last month.

Biden said Sunday he was “devastated and outraged” by the deaths.

“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” he said.

“And we continue to work day and night to secure a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”

The brutal war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, when the Palestinian Islamist group attacked an Israeli music festival in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 wounded in Israeli counterattacks in Gaza, the enclave’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.