Yahoo TV

STORY: :: Nationwide strikes in Israel are underway after the death of six Israeli hostages in Gaza triggered outrage

:: Flights, hospitals and banks are severely disrupted as protesters call for a ceasefire deal

:: September 2, 2024

:: Zamy Moldovan, Israeli citizen

:: "Unfortunately we found out that our flight to Greece was postponed, because of the strike there is in Israel, because of the kidnapped people who are held by the Hamas in Gaza. I feel that I support this strike because really all of the people in Israel want our friends and brothers to come back from Gaza and be free."

:: Professor Yehuda Ullmann, Chief of Surgery at Rambam Hospital

:: "We are striking. It's a very hard word for physicians who are here to take care for the life and the well-being of our patients. But we are in a very, very hard situation now, we and all the country, because of the hostages. And yesterday it was maybe the hardest day, because we heard about the six hostages that were killed after suffering for 11 months. We can't stand aside and that's why we came into a strike."

The head of the Histadrut union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers across the economy, called for the strike on Sunday (September 1) after the bodies of six Israeli hostages were recovered from southern Gaza tunnels.

Workers at Israel's main commercial port Haifa were also on strike while hospitals were partially operating and banks were closed. Many private sector businesses were open but employers have allowed staff to join the strike so many services were disrupted.

The recovery of the six hostages, who were shot dead between 48-72 hours before being found by Israeli forces, according to health ministry estimates, triggered deep shock in Israel, prompting at least half a million people to take to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in protest on Sunday.

The strikes follow months of protests and underscore the deep divisions that have opened up in Israel over Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to securing a ceasefire deal.