Tens of thousands of Israelis protest to demand hostage swap deal with Palestinians

Scuffles between the protesters and security forces were reported on Sunday night in one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in Israel since the Gaza war began nearly 11 months ago.

The protesters chanted “Now! Now!” and demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire with Palestinian group Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.

Many Israelis blocked roads in Tel Aviv and demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s office in West Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of captives held in Gaza, said the death of the six hostages was the direct result of Netanyahu’s failure to secure a deal to halt the fighting and bring their loved ones home.

“They were all murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation in Hamas captivity,” the forum announced.

Meanwhile, in a first since October 7, Israel’s largest trades union federation, the Histadrut, has called for a general strike to pressure the government into signing a ceasefire deal.

The union said Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, would be closed from 8am (05:00 GMT) on Monday, as it aimed to shut down or disrupt major sectors of Israel’s economy, including banking and healthcare.

Municipal services in Israel’s economic hub Tel Aviv will also be shut for part of Monday.

The Manufacturers Association of Israel noted it backed the strike and accused the government of failing in its “moral duty” to bring the captives back alive.

“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,” stressed association head Ron Tomer.

Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he supported the strike.

But Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to submit an urgent request to courts to block the planned nationwide strike.

In his letter, Smotrich argued that a strike had no legal basis since it aimed to improperly influence significant policy decisions of politicians on issues related to state security.

He also said that a broad strike – which would shut Israel including outgoing flights – has significant economic consequences which would cause unnecessary economic damage in wartime.

Truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas have dragged on for months, and many blame Netanyahu for failing to reach a deal.

The Israeli military has killed at least 40,738 people and wounded 94,154 in its war on Gaza since October 7. An estimated 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, with some 250 people seized by the group.

Israel’s army has acknowledged the difficulty of rescuing dozens of remaining captives and said only a deal can bring a large-scale return.