Lapid, a former prime minister, called on every Israeli “whose heart was broken this morning” to take part in a large protest in Tel Aviv later in the day.
Lapid also asked Israel’s main labor federation, companies and municipalities to participate in the strike.
His comments came after Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages held in Gaza.
Workers and manufacturers participate in the strike
The Israeli Federation of Trade Unions, which represents hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, said it was considering a strike and would make a decision later in the day after a meeting with the hostages’ families.
The Israeli Manufacturers Association said it supported a strike and criticized the government for failing to return the hostages alive, which the association called a “moral duty.”
“Without the return of the hostages, we will not be able to end the war, we will not be able to rehabilitate ourselves as a society, and we will not be able to begin rehabilitating the Israeli economy. We are torn and divided, and this is where the movement is to unite Israeli society,” said Ron Tomer, the association’s president.
“The government must ensure that it does everything to return the hostages as quickly as possible, even within the limits of a limited ceasefire, and I call on all companies in Israel to take action to make this happen,” he added.
Tel Aviv Municipality Services Authority Suspension
In turn, the Tel Aviv Municipal Services Authority announced on its Facebook page that it will participate in a half-day strike tomorrow, Monday, in solidarity with the hostages and their families.
The strike will be held in parallel with several municipalities across Israel after the bodies of Israeli hostages are returned from the Gaza Strip to Israel.
The Israeli army announced, on Sunday morning, that it had found the bodies of 6 hostages held by Hamas inside a tunnel in Rafah, including an American citizen.
Several family members of hostages held by Hamas have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately sentencing their sons to death, after reports that the prime minister is prioritizing keeping troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt over returning the Israeli hostages.
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