Jerusalem
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The family of Israeli hostages is being held in Gaza. Israeli security ministers are calling for a national general strike next Sunday in protest of the decision to expand the recent war and take over Gaza City.
“We are closing our country to save soldiers and hostages,” said the hostage parents in Tel Aviv. They were joined by the Council on October 7th. This represents the families of the bereaved soldiers who fell at the start of the war.
Organizers said the initiative will begin as a grassroots effort, primarily through private businesses and citizens, attacking Sunday to stop the economy.
Within hours, the council on October 7 not only said “hundreds of businesses” would take part in the strike, but also “thousands of citizens who have declared they would take a break.”
Israel’s largest labor union, known for Histador, has not yet joined the strike. The family is expected to meet Histador Chairman Arnon Bar David on Monday to convince him to join forces.
Anato Angrest, Matan’s mother, who is being held hostage in Gaza, appealed to the head of the economic and labor industry, warning that “Your silence is killing our children.”
Angrest said, “I know your heart is feeling pain with us, but that’s not enough. Silence will be killed. So I’m here today and looking for something I’ve avoided up until now.
Histadl has already staged a general strike last year to support hostage families. After the murder of six Israeli hostages by Hamas in September 2024, the union disrupted key sectors such as transportation, banking and healthcare, joining extensive protests and demonstrations throughout the day. However, the Israeli government has denounced their actions as political and has moved to halt the strike through a labor court injunction.
Histador has not publicly commented on the strike, but Israeli opposition leaders supported and accepted the initiative. Opposition leader Yaa Rapid said “the call for a general strike by hostage families is justified and appropriate.”
Democrat Chairman Yair Golan announced that the party would be taking part in the strike, calling “a call on all Israeli citizens (the value of life and mutual responsibility) and struck with us, bringing them into the city, resisting and confusing them.”
Israeli security ministers on Friday decided to move forward with a controversial plan to expand the war and take over Gaza city. The plan sparked harsh criticism from the families of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza, of which 20 are estimated to be alive, warning that new military moves could put living hostages at risk, and put them to death penalty.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the escalation at a press conference on Sunday. “Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war and the best way to get it to end quickly,” he told reporters.
Netanyahu described Hamas’ “two remaining bases” and the central camp of the enclave and the enclave, which Israel claimed had to attack to finish his job and complete Hamas defeat.
