Protesters go on strike in Israel demanding ceasefire and hostage releases

Protesters in Israel demanding their government make a deal to secure the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza escalated their campaign on Sunday, staging a strike that disrupted traffic and closed businesses.

The action, organised by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, marked a fresh push, weeks after militant groups released videos of hostages and Israel signalled plans for a new Gaza offensive.

Protesters fear further fighting could endanger the 50 hostages believed to remain in Gaza, only about 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

They chanted “We don’t win a war over the bodies of hostages” and demanded a deal.

“Today, we stop everything to save and bring back the hostages and soldiers. Today, we stop everything to remember the supreme value of the sanctity of life,” said Anat Angrest, mother of hostage Matan Angrest.

“Today, we stop everything to join hands — right, left, centre and everything in between.”

Police made more than two dozen arrests for “disruption of order”. They said that most of the protests had not been disruptive, but acknowledged several exceptions and said they “will act firmly against anyone who violates the law or endangers public order”.

Although Israel’s largest labor union, Histadrut, ultimately did not join Sunday’s action, strikes of this magnitude are relatively rare in Israel. Many businesses and municipalities decided independently to strike.

Still, an end to the conflict does not appear near. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the immediate release of the hostages but is balancing competing pressures, haunted by the potential for mutiny within his coalition.

Far-right members of his cabinet insist they will not support any deal that allows Hamas to retain power. The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released hostages, they threatened to topple Mr Netanyahu’s government.

Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday called the stoppage “a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas’ hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future.”

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital on Sunday, escalating strikes on Iran-backed Houthis, who since the war began have fired missiles at Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea.

Both the IDF and a Houthi-run television station in Yemen announced the strikes. Al-Masirah Television said they targeted a power plant in the southern district of Sanhan, sparking a fire and knocking it out of service.

Israel’s military said Sunday’s strikes targeted energy infrastructure it claimed was being used by the Houthis, and were launched in response to missiles and drones aimed at Israel.

While some projectiles have breached its missile defences — notably during its war with Iran in June — Israel has intercepted the vast majority of missiles launched from Yemen.

While demonstrators in Israel demanded a ceasefire, Israel began preparing for an invasion of Gaza City and other populated parts of the besieged strip, aimed at destroying Hamas.

The military body that co-ordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza said on Sunday that the supply of tents to the territory would resume.

Cogat said it would allow the United Nations to resume importing tents and shelter equipment into Gaza ahead of plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones “for their protection”.

Tents and the majority of assistance has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after a ceasefire collapsed.

Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organisations say the flow is far below what is needed. Some have accused Israel of “weaponising aid” through blockades and rules they say turn humanitarian assistance into a tool of its political and military goals.

Israel’s air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza and displaced most of the population. The United Nations is warning that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began.

The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 61,897 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.