Protests roiled Israel for a second day and a general strike caused disruptions across the country after the military recovered the bodies of six hostages over the weekend.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday night to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire and hostage release deal with the militant group Hamas after nearly 11 months of conflict.
A general strike was held on Monday, The Associated Press reported, called by Israel’s largest trade union, the Histradrut. Street protests also resumed across the country.
Late Monday, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside Netanyahu’s private home, chanting, “Deal. Now,” according to The AP.
The families of the deceased hostages have blamed Netanyahu, contending they could have been saved through a deal with Hamas, according to The AP. President Biden also said Monday that Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to secure a hostage deal.
Netanyahu pushed back against the pressure for a cease-fire, saying he’ll continue to insist on Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. He also sought forgiveness for the hostage deaths and vowed consequences for Hamas.
“I told the families, and I repeat and say this evening: I am asking for your forgiveness that we didn’t manage to bring them back alive. We were very close but we couldn’t make it,” Netanyahu said during a press conference Monday night, per a CNN translation.
Hamas’s surprise assault last year left more than 1,100 people dead, and roughly 250 hostages were taken captive, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since early October, according to local health officials.
The Associated Press contributed.
