Israel’s Labor Court ruled on Monday to end a general strike that was called to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The court ordered the strike to be lifted at 2:30 p.m. local time, three and a half hours before its scheduled end. Israel’s largest labor union, the Histadrut, which called the strike, said it would comply with the order.
The partial strike still disrupted services across Israel for the first half of the day. According to The Washington Post, the strike closed or delayed schools and universities, delayed departure flights for at least two hours, and closed some banks and malls. Doctors and nurses also walked off their jobs, restricting hospitals to emergency services only.
By ruling to shut the strike down, the court accepted the government’s argument that the strike was political and not about the economy. The Histadrut’s stance was that the government was damaging the economy by not accepting a hostage deal with Hamas.
The court’s decision was a major victory for Netanyahu, who reportedly accused the workers participating in the strike of supporting Hamas. According to Israeli media outlets, Netanyahu told his security cabinet that the strike was a “disgrace. It’s telling [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar — you murdered six people. Here, we support you.”
The strike was declared after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Gaza. The Hostage Families and Missing Forum said Netanyahu was to blame for their deaths since he’s been doing everything he can to sabotage the chances of a ceasefire deal.
“A deal for the return of the abductees has been on the table for over two months. If it weren’t for the thwarting [of the deal], the excuses, and the spins, the abductees whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive,” the forum said.
Meanwhile, Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza continues. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday that Israeli forces killed at least 48 more Palestinians in Gaza during the previous 24-hour period.