Partial strike, protests in Israel; court orders end to strike pushing for Gaza hostage deal

Israeli labour union strike for Gaza deal halts services, affects sectors, and sparks debate on political vs. worker union roles.

A strike on Monday (September 2, 2024) called by Israel's largest labour union shuttered parts of the country to pressure the government into reaching a Gaza deal to free hostages, though several sectors were unaffected.

Following the strike, an Israeli labour court on Monday (September 2, 2024) ordered a halt to a strike called by the country’s largest union to support a deal that would secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.

The Histadrut trade union called a nationwide strike beginning at 6:00 am (0830 IST), a day after mass demonstrations following the Army's announcement that troops had recovered the bodies of six hostages "murdered" in a Gaza tunnel.

"We are stopping everything to make sure our voice is heard, to say that we don't want to do anything until they are here", said protester Michal Hadas-Nahor of the dozens of hostages still held by militants in the besieged Gaza Strip.

"I really hope this makes a difference, otherwise I don't know how I can live in this country and raise my children here", Hadas-Nahor, a 34-year-old human resources manager, said at a protest march in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv on Monday.

Barak Hadurian, a 56-year-old software engineer from Tel Aviv, said "we want elections", but "first and foremost" the government "to sign an agreement to release the hostages and cease this war that is terrible for both sides".

Gil Dickmann, a cousin of Carmel Gat, one of the six hostages whose deaths were announced on Sunday (September 1, 2024), said: "I really hope this is a turning point."