Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Sunday for a strike to shut down the economy in order to pressure the government to reach a deal to release the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Yair Lapid © Mena Today
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Sunday for a strike to shut down the economy in order to pressure the government to reach a deal to release the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Lapid, who is also a former prime minister, called on every Israeli "whose heart was broken this morning" to join a major protest in Tel Aviv later in the day. He also called on Israel's main labor union, businesses and municipalities to go on strike.
His remarks came after Israel recovered the bodies of six more hostages from captivity in Gaza.
The powerful Histadrut labour federation, which represents hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, said it was considering a strike and would make a decision later in the day after meeting with families of hostage families.
Israel's Manufacturers' Association said it supported a strike and criticized the government for failing to bring hostages back alive, which it called a "moral duty".
"Without the return of the hostages we will not be able to end the war, we will not be able to rehabilitate ourselves as a society and we will not be able to begin to rehabilitate the Israeli economy. We are torn and divided and this is the place to act to unite Israeli society," said association head Ron Tomer.
"The government must ensure that it does everything, for the return of the hostages as soon as possible, even under the limitations of a limited ceasefire, and I call on all businesses in Israel to act to make it happen."
Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch and Steven Scheer
Israel said on Tuesday it had attacked Hamas’ new armed wing chief, who it said was appointed just days earlier after Israel killed his predecessor, as it steps up military pressure in Gaza and expands ground operations in Lebanon.
Israel's largest defence contractor is developing hardware to combat explosive Hezbollah drones that have killed Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, including through the potential use of laser-based defence systems, its CEO told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Israeli military has expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond a demarcation line that Israel set up several kilometres inside Lebanese territory after an April 16 ceasefire with Hezbollah, two sources said on Tuesday.
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