Families of hostages call for strike, demand Gaza deal

Families of hostages have called for a nationwide general strike starting Sunday night to force the government to reach a deal to secure the release of captives still held in Gaza.

The call came after the Israeli military found the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, sparking outrage and anger among their families.

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 urged Israelis to demonstrate in Tel Aviv later on Sunday and asked the country’s powerful Histadrut union to participate in the strike.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also called for a “general strike”.

“They were alive but (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his cabinet of death decided not to save them,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“There are still hostages alive. We can still make a deal.”

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called on the government to reverse a decision to keep Israeli forces along the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt, a key sticking point in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire.

“The cabinet must gather immediately and reverse the decision made on Thursday,” Gallant said in a statement.

“We must bring back the hostages that are still being held by Hamas.”

Several business announced measures to support the families of the hostages, including cinema chain Lev and restaurants which said they would close in solidarity on Sunday evening.

Families and friends of the hostages have been holding weekly demonstrations against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the conflict started on October 7.

The Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during the assault, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Vowing to eliminate Hamas, Israel has launched a massive military campaign in Gaza that so far has killed at least 40,738 people.

Most of those killed however are women and children, according to UN human rights office.