Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets last night and a general strike was called for the country amid an eruption of public outrage against the government after the deaths of six hostages being held by Hamas deep underground in Gaza.
The discovery of the hostages' bodies over the weekend threatened to bring profound tensions among Israelis over the war in Gaza to a boiling point.
An estimated 100,000 protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv while others protested in Jerusalem as pressure peaked on the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to reach a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home.
The first general strike since March last year is expected to bring large parts of Israel's economy to a halt today.
Government and municipal offices were due to close, as well as schools and many private businesses. Israel's international airport, Ben Gurion, is due to shut down at 8am local time for an unknown period.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were found in tunnels "dozens of metres" underground during fighting in the town of Rafah in southern Gaza. The six were seized during Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israel.
The health ministry said that a forensic examination on the bodies showed the hostages had been "murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range" 48-72 hours before they were found.
The findings pointing to Hamas executions did little to deflect widespread fury towards Netanyahu and his rightwing coalition for failing to agree a US-backed hostages-forpeace deal with Hamas, which has been on the negotiating table since late May.
In a statement mourning the six hostages, the prime minister blamed Hamas for refusing to accept the deal.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 02, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 02, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
"They can't get away scot-free' EFL wants to charge Leicester with PSR breach if relegated
The English Football League wants to charge Leicester over the alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) the Premier League was blocked from pursuing this month, if the club are relegated.
Rodgers’ star on rise again as rampant Celtic extend perfect start
This proved a modern day Celtic Park rarity.
City off-colour as Gündogan's late misses hand dogged Inter a point
Manchester City know only too well how tough a nut Inter are to crack.
Significant ankle damage rules Ødegaard out 'for a while'
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Martin Ødegaard has damaged ankle ligaments and will be sidelined \"for a while\" after the Arsenal captain was injured on international duty.
Salvatore Schillaci, 1964-2024 Italy mourns its goalscoring hero from 1990 World Cup
Tributes have been paid to Salvatore Schillaci after the former Italy forward died at the age of 59.
Captain Brook hands rebooted England licence to entertain
In one sense the five-match ODI series between England and Australia that starts in Nottingham today is slightly lacking in wider context.
'Any free time, I'll go fishing.My missus thinks I'm a bit weird'
Ollie Sleightholme, who is geared up for title defence, explains how angling relieves the pressures Northampton's
Itoje rejects Jones’ claims he is not suited to captaincy
Maro Itoje has rejected claims by the former England head coach Eddie Jones that he is \"very inward-looking\" and not suited to Test captaincy, after being unveiled as Saracens' skipper.
Floods and tears Worcestershire dig deep to shine despite adversity and tragedy
Somerset could still win their first County Championship title, while Surrey remain on for the three-peat.
Remote working Like it or loathe it, WFH looks like it is here to stay
Four years ago when the world of work was upended by the Covid pandemic, confident were made predictions that a permanent shift in remote working would follow the removal of lockdown restrictions.