Israel’s Labor Union Goes on Strike to Force Hostage Deal

CGTN Europe

Israel’s main labor union has called for a general strike on Monday, which will see the country’s main airport close.   Their aim is to pressure the government to secure a deal to bring home the remaining Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.   It comes after the bodies of six hostages were recovered from the enclave. They were found in a tunnel in the southern Rafa area.   Israel’s military says they were killed just a short time before troops reached them.    CGTN's Jonathan Regev has the story.   #Israel #Gaza #GazaWar

Transcript

00:00Six hostages were found in a tunnel in the Rafah area, as you mentioned.

00:06They were found quite close to a tunnel from which an Israeli hostage was brought out alive last week,

00:14about a mile away or so, in the same underground compound, let's call it this way.

00:20And the assumption is that they were shot and killed just two or three days ago,

00:28and there's great anger in Israel over this.

00:32First, anger on Hamas, just shooting and killing living hostages.

00:38These are hostages that all of them were taken to Gaza alive.

00:42There was even proof of life from some of them being given to Israel through these past 11 months.

00:50And they were shot and killed.

00:53There's also great anger on the government, because there's a feeling that had there been a deal,

01:00these people, or at least some of them, could have been saved, but they're not.

01:05If we look at the past two weeks, 12 bodies were brought back to Israel,

01:11all of them of people that were taken to Gaza alive.

01:15And they were all killed while in Gaza.

01:17These are 12 people that hostage families say could have been saved.

01:21Had there been a deal, we even know that out of the six bodies brought tonight,

01:25three of the names there, two women and one man who was injured and lost an arm while abducted,

01:31they were on a list which Hamas basically accepted to give back to Israel in the case of a deal.

01:39It did not happen. A lot of anger on the government.

01:43The operation itself happening in Rafah, there were no Hamas militants in the area.

01:48Apparently they fled that tunnel some 48 hours or so before the soldiers arrived.

01:54Then the assumption is that they killed the hostages.

01:57The bodies were then found and brought to Israel for identification.

02:01And so, Jonathan, how is this anger with the government factoring into this general strike

02:06that's been called for Monday that's just been announced?

02:11It could be a potential game-changer.

02:15The biggest workers' union in Israel, they've been called time and time again,

02:21asked to declare a general strike over the past 11 months since the war began, but they never joined.

02:28Now, for the first time, the head of the workers' union said enough is enough.

02:33And as of 6 a.m. local time tomorrow morning, the general strike will begin.

02:38At 8 a.m. two hours later, Ben Gurion Airport will be shut for takeoffs and landings.

02:46Schools will be partially shut, and a lot of businesses as well, of course.

02:52So it's quite a game-changer.

02:55The business sector, for the first time since the war began,

02:59is joining the calls for the government to do much more in order to achieve a deal.

03:05It comes after that controversial vote in the cabinet on Thursday evening,

03:10calling to remain in the Philadelphia corridor,

03:14a vote that has been described by the defense minister, Yoav Galant, who voted against it,

03:21as a disgrace, saying that basically it's a death sentence for the hostages in Gaza.

03:29The vote happening on Thursday evening.

03:31And on Saturday evening came the news of those six Israeli hostages,

03:36which were killed shortly before that.

03:39The feeling is that these six people could have been saved,

03:43but they're not, due to decisions of the Israeli government.

03:46That is why there's such a great anger.

03:48That is why the business sector is now joining the calls for the government to change its decisions.

03:53It's a potential game-changer, could be a game-changer.

03:57But, of course, we have to wait and see what will be the effect of this general strike,

04:02which begins on Monday morning.

04:04Okay. Jonathan Regev in Tel Aviv. Many thanks for that.

Category

Transcript

Recommended