Israel faces strikes and protests after news of the death of six hostages in Gaza

Israel’s main trade union center called for a general strike on Monday in reaction to the announcement on Sunday that six hostages were found dead by the army in the Gaza Strip after almost 11 months of conflict with Hamas.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest in Israel and demand a deal for the release of hostages and in Jerusalem, protesters carrying signs with the faces of the hostages shouted “Where are they?” loudspeakers are directed at the building where a cabinet meeting is scheduled.

The remains of the hostages were found on Saturday “in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area,” in the south of the Palestinian territory, the army said in an army statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure and Israel’s Histadrut trade union centre called for a “general strike” to force the government to reach an agreement to release the hostages.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and the families of the hostages also called for a strike.

As part of the strike, all landings and takeoffs from Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion, will be paralyzed starting at 8:00 in the morning.

The Israeli Ministry of Health reported that the autopsy results indicate that the hostages died from close-range gunshot wounds between Thursday and Friday.

A senior Palestinian Islamist leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several hostages were killed. “by shooting and shelling by the Israeli occupiers” and that some of them were on the organization’s list of people who would be released during the first phase, if a ceasefire agreement is reached.

US President Joe Biden said that among the bodies recovered were those of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and He said he was “devastated,” but remains optimistic about the possibility of a truce.

Goldberg-Polin, 23, was one of 251 hostages taken by Hamas militants in their Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

The other five hostages recovered were identified by the Israeli military as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Sergeant Ori Danino.

At her son Almog’s funeral, Nira told mourners she hopes no other family has to go through the same thing.

“Enough, no more. We pay the highest price. “I hope we are the last. From now on, there will only be a deal to bring back the hostages,” he said.

Deaths reported in West Bank

The Israeli army launched a major operation on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, with bombings and armored vehicle raids in Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, Tulkarem, and in refugee camps, where armed groups fighting Israel have a strong presence.

According to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health, The Israeli army has killed at least 24 Palestinians in the West Bank since Wednesday.

Israeli police said three of their officers, two men and a woman, were killed Sunday “in a shootout” following an attack at the Tarkumiya checkpoint near Hebron.

The Israeli army said in the afternoon that it had killed the attacker responsible for the shooting.

“The best vaccine is peace,” says WHO director general

In Gaza, despite the ravages of the war between Israeli forces and Hamas, ca polio vaccination campaign began.

“It is absolutely necessary that they be vaccinated,” Ghadir Haji told AFP as the family waited in line for vaccinations at the clinic in the Al Zawayda refugee camp.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus estimated that, For the children of Gaza, “the best vaccine (…) is peace.”

The goal is to immunize more than 640,000 children under 10 years of age.

In Gaza City, an Israeli bombing targeted a group of police officers at a school housing displaced Palestinians left at least 11 dead, said the spokesman for the Civil Defense of the territory.

The war in Gaza, which has plunged the 2.4 million inhabitants of the territory into a catastrophic humanitarian situation, broke out on 7 October.

The October 7 attack by Hamas fighters in Israel killed 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a vast retaliatory offensive. which has already left 40,738 dead in Gazaaccording to the territory’s Ministry of Health.