Hostage deaths in Gaza spark protests in Israel

Israel’s largest trade union called a general strike for Monday to pressure the government for a cease-fire in Gaza after Israel said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages.

The Histadrut represents some 800,000 workers in such areas as health care, transportation and banking, and it said the strike would include the international airport, with all flights halted. The strike is aimed at persuading Israel’s government to reach a deal to bring home the remaining hostages.

This would be the first general strike since the Hamas attack on October 7. A general strike last year during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul helped lead to a temporary delay in the plan.

A new wave of protests was set to begin Sunday evening in Israel, fueled by raw anger and grief. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for failing to bring them back alive in a deal with Hamas to end the 10-month-old war. Negotiations over such a deal have dragged on for months.

The military said all six hostages had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces.