Gaza war: Israelis strike to demand Netanyahu agrees to a ceasefire and hostage release

Israelis began large labour strikes on Monday and took to the streets again in their strongest push yet to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to accept a ceasefire with Hamas and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.

Civil servants at several ministries stayed at home or went out to protest, while many post offices and bank branches were closed, and university lectures cancelled. Ben-Gurion, the country’s main airport, suspended take-offs between 8am and 10am local time.

Anger is rising in Israel after the bodies of six hostages were found in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Each was shot repeatedly from short-range, not long before being discovered, medical examiners said.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in cities around the nation on Sunday, in what appeared to be the largest protests since the October 7 attacks by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.

Both the protests and strikes reflect deep anger at Netanyahu, who critics say is prolonging the war – and thus reducing the chances of early elections – rather than prioritising the safe return of the roughly 100 remaining hostages in Gaza. The military conflict has already spread to the West Bank and to neighbouring Lebanon, threatening to engulf the region in a wider war.