29 arrested at Tel Aviv protest ahead of nationwide strike
Twenty-nine people were arrested during a mass protest in Tel Aviv on Sunday night to call for a ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to the Israel Police.
Israelis block the Ayalon Highway and clash with police in Tel Aviv, during a protest calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza on Sept. 1, 2024. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90.
An estimated 30,000 demonstrators initially gathered at the Kaplan junction for a legal protest. After the official protest ended, however, hundreds illegally blocked traffic on the Ayalon Highway, the city’s major thoroughfare. They committed acts of vandalism, including lighting bonfires and launching fireworks at the police. One policewoman was injured during confrontations with the rioters and was transported to the hospital.
The arrested suspects “violated [public] order, attacked policemen and rioted with brutality and vandalism,” said police, adding that “all the roads have been cleared of protesters and … are gradually being opened to vehicle traffic.”
Protesters took to the streets after the announcement on Sunday morning that Israeli forces had recovered the bodies ofsix hostages from a Hamas tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza overnight Saturday.
The hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 25, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25, were captured during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, the six were killed by their captors shortly before being reached by Israeli troops.
There are still 101 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Left-wing politicians blamed the Israeli government for the hostages’ deaths, with opposition leader Yair Lapid calling for a general strike to pressure the coalition into a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The Histadrut labor federation, which represents some 800,000 Israeli trade unionists, on Sunday declared a general strike starting at 6 a.m. on Monday, shutting down large sectors of the economy. The strike is set to last for 24 hours, but may be extended.
At the request of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu, the state filed a petition on Monday morning against Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar–David.
According to the petition, the strike was not called “for the purposes of a collective labor dispute, and as such is a political strike.”
Ben-Gurion International Airport is striking from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m., but incoming flights will not be affected. Tel Aviv’s light rail is operating in a reduced format, with the possibility of delays and disruptions. In Jerusalem, the operator of the city’s light rail system announced that “in light of the Histadrut’s announcement of a general strike in the economy, the light rail will not operate until 12:00 noon. When the strike ends, it will return to normal operation.” Haifa’s Carmelit underground funicular railway is not operating.
The major bus companies Egged, Dan and Metropolin are also striking. Israel Railways is operating normally.
In localities participating in the strike, kindergartens will be closed for the school day and elementary and middle schools will be open until 11:45 a.m. High schools are already shuttered over an unrelated salary dispute.
The health system is also striking, operating on a Saturday schedule. Banks, some governmental offices, hi-tech firms and companies that are part of the forum of 200 of Israel’s biggest businesses announced that they would partake in the strike. The large malls belonging to Azrieli, Sarona and Melisron demanded shopkeepers close their stores from noon. BIG shopping malls are closed for the day.
The Histadrut has published a full list of who is striking.
Nationwide protests were scheduled on Monday alongside the general strike, including blocking roads and intersections, according to a statement by the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, which included a list of the places to be affected. More protests are scheduled for later in the day, with details to be published.
Jerusalem, other localities refuse to participate
The Federation of Local Authorities in Israel is striking, and the Histadrut called a strike in the Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa municipalities. However, Jerusalem announced it will not cooperate.
Other local authorities not taking part include Ashdod, Bnei Brak, Ramle, Dimona, Holon, Petah Tikva, Kiryat Gat, Arad, Beit Shemesh, Katzrin, most of the cities in the Krayot near Haifa, the Merom HaGalil Regional Council, and all Judea and Samaria municipalities and councils.
The Golan Regional Council said that its educational system will be fully operational on Monday, with a rally to be held in the afternoon in solidarity with the hostages and their families.
Tel Aviv, Givatayim, Herzliya, Ra’anana, Kfar Saba, Hod Hasharon, the Gezer Regional Council and the Azur Local Council are participating in the strike and are not providing services.
Netanya, Yeruham, Safed, Nahariya, Sderot, Kiryat Ata and the Hevel Modi’in Regional Council are striking in solidarity for several hours on Monday.
