A divided Israel takes to the streets after the killing of six hostages

Israel's streets are once again a powder keg. Thousands of demonstrators filled Israeli cities, the bulk in Tel Aviv, responding to different calls from labor organizations and families after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the bodies of six hostages killed by Hamas.

The Israeli labor union Histadrut called for a general strike Monday to "unite in a shared cry to bring the hostages back," in the words of its chairman, Arnon Bar-David. The union leader defended the need to reach a pact with the terrorist group to achieve the return of the hostages:

"Any painful price we are required to pay for a deal to bring our sons and daughters home is far lower than the cost of continuing the abandonment."

As part of the strike, landings and takeoffs at the country's main airport, Ben Gurion International Airport, were paralyzed. Although it was initially announced that all planes would remain grounded, local media report that some flights with the United States as destination were authorized to take off.

In addition to some groups of relatives of the hostages kidnapped or killed by Hamas, members of the opposition also joined in, with leader Yair Lapid sharing images of the demonstrations:

The call for a strike and the call for a cease-fire were not the only slogans that brought Israelis to the streets. Groups of Orthodox Jews, for example, held signs and chanted slogans against compulsory military service. In images shared by the ZiratNews media outlet, a dozen can be seen in front of a conscription office:

Relatives of 7-O victims: "Shutting down the economy is a prize for Hama"

Another group that came out with a claim of its own was the Gvura Forum, a forum of families of fallen Israelis: arguing against the strike, they contend that paralyzing the economy is doing the terrorists a favor.

"This is encouraging terror" one protester maintained, megaphone in hand, in words picked up by The Times of Israel. "I am receiving more and more messages from patients who were injured in the fighting in Gaza and are not receiving treatment today following the promiscuous strike of the Histadrut," said the group's legal representative Ilan Bombach, according to a local reporter who also shared images of the protest:

Court orders early closure

The Bat Yam Labour Court on Monday ordered the strike to end three hours earlier than planned by the unions, who had indicated 6 p.m. as the end time. 

Arnon Bar-David announced that Histadrut would respect the court decision, but denied the judges' accusation that the action was "politically motivated." Other groups came out to clarify that their demonstrations would continue, such as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum (which dissociated itself from the union strike):

Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, welcomed the ruling. Smotrich on Sunday asked the attorney general's office to ask the courts to suspend the strike because it was responding to political ends and not labor demands. In a radio interview he also argued that the union leaders were "fulfilling the dream of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar."

Lawmaker Yitzhak Wasserlauf joined in the criticism in a letter to his peers, picked up by the Times of Israel, in which he called the strike "criminal" and illegal and accused its organizers of wanting to "impede the extensive security measures promoted by the government and the coalition."

A weekly cabinet meeting took place in the afternoon, but no official statements have been issued so far.