Israel-Hamas war: Union calls strike after hostage deaths

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, calling for a deal to release the remaining hostages from Gaza. The protests mark one of the biggest demonstrations in nearly 11 months of war.

Aerial footage taken on Sunday shows Aviv's main highway blocked with protesters. Some of those demonstrating held flags with pictures of the slain hostages, while others marched with coffins to symbolize the death toll.

"Take to the streets and shut down the country until everyone returns. They can still be saved," Gil Dickmann, a cousin of one of the six hostages recently declared dead, said on social media.

Protesters also rallied outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence. Many chanted "Now! Now!" demanding the prime minister and his Cabinet agree to a cease-fire with Hamas to bring the remaining hostages home.

Many protesters also gathered outside Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem, with some weeping as they marched.

"We really think that the government is making these decisions for its own conservation and not for the lives of the hostages, and we need to tell them, 'Stop!'" the Associated Press news agency quoted Tel Aviv resident Shlomit Hacohen as saying. 

The six hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza on Sunday were shot at close range up to 72 hours ago, Israel's Health Ministry said, citing a forensic examination.

"The six hostages were murdered by Hamas terrorists with several close-range gunshots," ministry spokesperson Shira Solomon said in a statement. 

"According to the forensic examination, the hostages' deaths are estimated to have occurred approximately 48-72 hours before their examination [between Thursday and early Friday morning]."

The head of Israel's powerful Histadrut labor union has joined calls for a strike in an effort to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government to agree to a hostage-release deal.

Arnon Bar-David urged all civilian workers to join a general strike on Monday. He said Ben Gurion airport, Israel's main air transport hub, would be closed starting 8 a.m. (0500 GMT).

"We must stop the abandonment of the hostages ... I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken," Bar-David said in a statement. "Starting tomorrow at six in the morning, the entire Israeli economy will go on complete strike."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has joined other leaders in condemning the killing of hostages in Gaza.

"I am completely shocked at the horrific and senseless killing of six hostages in Gaza by Hamas," Starmer said on X, formerly Twitter. "My thoughts are with their loved ones at this awful time."

He called for an immediate cease-fire deal and the release of the remaining hostages. 

Germany's Werder Bremen football club has mourned the death of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was an avid fan of the club.

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the Goldberg-Polin family, relatives and Hersh's friends in these difficult hours," the club said in a statement. "We all hoped for Hersh's release until the very end. His flag hangs in front of the Weser Stadium."

The club commended Goldberg-Polin's "clarity and commitment."

"Since 7 October, we have gradually come to know Hersh as an empathetic young man who loves football and life and has wished for nothing but peaceful coexistence for all people — especially in the Middle East and Jerusalem."

The top diplomat of the European Union, Josep Borrell, has condemned the killing of six Israeli hostages by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

"These young innocent men, women should have long been brought to safety & to their loved ones," Borrell said on X, formerly Twitter. He stressed standing on the side of all hostages.

"We need a cease-fire to end this tragedy & bring all hostages home," he wrote.

Palestinian militants shot and killed three Israeli police officers in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Israel has said, following several days of large-scale Israeli raids in the territory.

Israeli police said the assailants opened fire on a vehicle driving through a road near the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, adding that the shooters managed to escape.

A little-known militant group calling itself the Khalil al-Rahman Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamist militant group Hamas, meanwhile, praised the attack as a "natural response" to the war in Gaza and called for more of such attacks.

Hundreds of Israeli forces have been engaged in raids across the West Bank this week, in what is among the largest military actions in the area in months. Israel says the raids aim to root out Islamist militants.

The families of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza have called for a nationwide strike to begin from Sunday night to push the government toward a hostage-release deal.

The calls were also echoed by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who urged for strikes to shut down the country's economy and put pressure on the government.

Lapid, who is also a former prime minister, called on every Israeli "whose heart was broken this morning" to join a major protest in Tel Aviv later in the day. He also urged Israel's main labor union, businesses and municipalities to go on strike.

"They were alive but [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his Cabinet of death decided not to save them," Lapid wrote on his Facebook page. "There are still hostages alive. We can still make a deal."

Campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it calls on the "public to join a massive demonstration, demanding a complete halt of the country and the immediate implementation of a deal to release the hostages."

It also called for Israelis to join protests in Tel Aviv later on Sunday and asked the country's powerful Histadrut union to take part in the strike.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called on the government to reverse its decision to keep Israeli soldiers along a border corridor with Egypt.

The presence of Israeli forces along the Philadelphi Corridor has been a key point of contention in negotiations for a Gaza cease-fire. The Palestinian militant group Hamas has said it would not agree to a deal to pause fighting and release hostages until Israeli troops withdraw from the corridor.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Gallant said the Israeli Cabinet must immediately convene and reverse a Thursday decision to keep forces in the corridor.

"It is too late for the hostages who were murdered in cold blood. We must bring back the hostages that are still being held by Hamas," Gallant wrote.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) Phillipe Lazzarini announced that the first phase of the polio vaccination campaign was underway in central Gaza.

"This is a race against time to reach just over 600,000 children across the Gaza Strip in the coming days," he said in a post on X.

For the campaign to work, he called on warring parties to "respect the temporary area pauses."

"For the sake of children across the region, a durable cease-fire is overdue," he added.

The vaccination campaign comes after the first case of polio in 25 years was discovered in Gaza as people are forced to live together in overcrowded camps with poor sanitation.

"Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message after the recovery of the bodies of six hostages amp up pressure on the prime minister to secure the release of remaining hostages in Gaza.

"This is a difficult day for us," he said, adding that the nation was mourning.

He vowed to "settle the score" with Hamas, telling the militant group's leaders, "We will hunt you down, we will catch you, and we will settle the score."

Netanyahu accused Hamas of killing hostages in "cold blood" and said he will not rest until he catches those responsible for their deaths.

The Israeli leader also said that he is committed to achieving a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages and ensure Israel's security.

The World Health Organization launched a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza on Sunday morning, immunizing some 640,000 children. 

It comes after the first case of polio in 25 years was discovered in Gaza amid poor hygenic conditions there. Many Palestinians in Gaza live in cramped conditions, and there is little clean water. 

The vaccinations are set to first commence in central Gaza. The vaccinations are given in two doses separated over four weeks.  

  

An umbrella group representing the families of Israeli captives in Gaza called for a massive protest on Sunday.

The Hostages Families Forum called for a countrywide protest demanding a "complete halt of the country" to pressure the Israeli government to agree to a cease-fire deal and ensure the release of the remaining hostages from Gaza.

"A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for over two months. Were it not for the delays, sabotage, and excuses, those whose deaths we learned about this morning would likely still be alive. It's time to bring our hostages home," it said.

"The Hostages Families Forum demands that Prime Minister Netanyahu address the nation and take responsibility for abandoning the hostages," it added.

About 250 people were captured by Hamas militants in the October 7 attack.  A November deal resulted in the release of 105 hostages. 

Before news broke about the bodies of hostages recovered in Gaza on Sunday, Israel said it believed some 108 captives were still held in Gaza. About one-third of them were believed to be dead. 

Meanwhile, international mediators last month made another effort to bring about a deal in Gaza in return for the release of hostages.

Qatar, Egypt and the US presented a bridging proposal to close the gaps of disagreements between Israel and Hamas, but there was no concrete proposal to move forward with.

Hamas once again said there would be no deal on the table without a complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza.

Hostage Families Forum, a group representing the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, issued a statement announcing the news.

"With deep sorrow, we once again announce the murder of 6 hostages. These 6 individuals were taken alive, endured the horrors of captivity, and were then coldly murdered," it said.

"A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for over two months. Were it not for the delays, sabotage, and excuses, those whose deaths we learned about this morning would likely still be alive. It's time to bring our hostages home — the living for rehabilitation and the fallen and murdered for burial in their homelands," it said.

The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin issued a statement after his body was discovered by Israeli military in Gaza along with the bodies of five other hostages. 

"With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh," the statement read. "The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time."

Biden, who had met with Goldberg-Polin’s parents, said they "have been courageous, wise and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable."