The strike organizes the so -called The October Council, which represents the families affected by Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023 – Masakr close victims, killed soldiers and hostages detained.
The organizers of the strike believe that the plan to seize the city of Gaza, approved by the Israeli government at the end of last week, will expose about 20 alive hostages of Hamas and soldiers participating in the fighting.
“We are on strike because the families asked for it and it is enough,” said opposition leader Jair Lapid on Tuesday, urging all Israelis to take part in the action.
The October Council announced the strike last weekend, and in the following days more groups and institutions declared their participation in it. The interruption of work was announced by, among others Numerous companies from the high technologies sector, universities in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Hajfie and the Israeli Chamber of Bar.
The strike was not officially supported by the largest Israeli union headquarters Histadrut, which, however, turned to entrepreneurs and its members to make it easier for employees to participate in protests.
The chairman of Histadrut Arnon Bar-Dawid told the hostage's families that joining the relationship to the strike would not lead to a faster end to the war and would be politicized. In the autumn of 2024, the Labor Court in Tel Aviv forbade Histadrut to organize protests in defense of hostages, considering that it is a matter related to politics, not employee rights.
One of the July polls for television channel 12 shows that 74 percent Israeli supports the conclusion of an agreement with Hamas, which would free all hostages and end the war. Part of Israeli public opinion has long been accused of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of continuing the fight for political benefits, because his extreme -right coalition partners oppose concessions to Hamas.
Evound negotiations regarding the truce took place for months, both sides accused themselves of moving away from the original findings and making new demands.
The hostages remain the strongest tender card in the hands of Hamas, which for their release demands a guarantee of a permanent ending of the war. This solution would probably allow this organization to preserve some of the forces and influence. Netanyahu and his allies do not want to allow this, emphasizing that in addition to the release of the kidnapped by the goal of war, it is also to destroy Hamas as a military and political force.
Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Hamas is not interested in a truce, puts unrealistic demands in negotiations, and therefore a new gauze offensive and military overcoming this terrorist organization is the only way out.
