Families of Israeli hostages kept captive in Gaza are calling for a nationwide general strike next Sunday, in protest of the Israeli security cabinet’s recent decision to expand the war and take over Gaza City.
“We are shutting down the country to save the soldiers and the hostages,” said the relatives of the hostages in Tel Aviv. They were joined by the October 7 Council, which represents bereaved families of soldiers who fell at the start of the war.
Organizers said the initiative would start as a grassroots effort primarily through private companies and citizens who will strike on Sunday to halt the economy.
Within hours, the October 7 Council said “hundreds” of companies said they would participate in the strike, as well as “thousands of citizens who have declared they will take the day off.”
Israel’s largest worker union, known as the Histadrut, hasn’t yet joined the strike. The families are expected to meet with Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David on Monday in a bid to convince him to join forces.
