A court ordered tens of thousands of Israelis back to work Monday, ending a short-lived but widespread strike that cast a spotlight on the political divisions and growing anger in the country after the weekend deaths of six Israeli hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets Sunday and Monday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis, which has dragged on for nearly 11 months after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis and resulted in the taking of more than 250 hostages. About 100 of those hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas, though several dozen are likely dead, Israeli officials have said.
The deaths of the six hostages over the weekend, including 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, sparked an unprecedented round of demonstrations in cities across the country. It also added fresh fuel to calls for Mr. Netanyahu’s government to make a peace deal with Hamas that would bring the remaining hostages home in exchange for a pause to the fighting in Gaza.
President Biden and other world leaders reiterated their support for a cease-fire deal Sunday, while also condemning Hamas for apparently murdering the six hostages in cold blood just before Israeli troops reached the spot where they had been held, reportedly inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Major labor unions, medical organizations and other workers’ groups called for a full general strike across Israel on Monday. That strike lasted for several hours and reportedly slowed sectors of the economy, including schools, airports, shops and hospitals. It ended at 2:30 p.m. Israeli time after a court granted the government’s petition to end the strike.
“We live in a country of law and respect the court’s decision, therefore I instruct everyone to return to work at 2:30 p.m.,” said Arnon Bar-David, chairman of the leading Histadrut trade union, according to Reuters.
SEE ALSO: ‘Take to the streets’: Anger toward Netanyahu hits fever pitch after 6 hostages found dead
Mr. Netanyahu was reportedly furious about the strike. Israel’s Ynet news site, citing sources who were inside a weekly Cabinet meeting, reported that Mr. Netanyahu called the strike a “disgrace.”
The Israeli leader still insists that he wants a cease-fire deal but that Hamas does not.
“In recent days, as Israel has been holding intensive negotiations with the mediator in a supreme effort to reach a deal, Hamas is continuing to steadfastly refuse all proposals. Even worse, at the exact same time, it murdered six of our hostages,” he said Sunday. “Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal.”
“For our part, we will not relent. The government of Israel is committed, and I am personally committed, to continue striving toward a deal that will return all of our hostages and ensure our security and our existence,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
In his own statement, Mr. Biden pressed for a cease-fire deal but blasted Hamas for its apparent actions. He also expressed condolences for the death of Mr. Goldberg-Polin.
“I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible,” Mr. Biden said. “Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”
SEE ALSO: WATCH: Hersh Goldberg-Polin laid to rest in Jerusalem
The Israeli army over the weekend identified the other dead hostages as Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; and Alexander Lobanov, 33. Like Mr. Goldberg-Polin, they were abducted from an Israeli music festival by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7. The sixth hostage, Carmel Gat, 40, was abducted from the nearby farming community of Be’eri.
Israeli troops have rescued some of the hostages previously held by Hamas. Others were freed during brief cease-fires in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Hamas has offered to release all of the remaining hostages in return for a full end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of more Palestinian prisoners.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the six dead hostages would still be alive if Israel had accepted a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal that Hamas said it had agreed to back in July, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.