Israel Prepares for Major Labor Strike Following the Killing of Six Hostages

Tens of thousands of people have rallied throughout Israel after soldiers discovered the bodies of six Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip, generating widespread indignation.

Following the Israeli military's announcement on Saturday that the remains had been found in a tunnel beneath the Gaza city of Rafah, a large-scale protest broke out.

The other hostages that were freed were Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, according to a statement released by the Israel Defense Forces. According to the military, all six of them died just before Israeli forces arrived.

This set off the demonstrations on Sunday, during which large crowds demanded that the government and Mr. Netanyahu himself rescue the remaining hostages.

The six hostages, whose bodies were found by the Israeli forces, were allegedly "murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation in Hamas captivity," according to the Hostages Families Forum.

Israel would hold Hamas responsible for the hostage-taking in "cold blood," according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also attributed the impasse to the militant organization, claiming that "whoever murders hostages doesn't want a deal."

The Histadrut, the biggest labor union in Israel, put more pressure on the government by announcing a nationwide walkout for Monday—the first since the Hamas attack on October 7 that ignited the conflict. It seeks to close or interfere with key economic sectors, including as the nation's primary airport, banking, and healthcare.