- Protests and upheavals following the recovery of deceased hostages
Following the uncovering of six deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip, Israel's government is under renewed scrutiny. A significant strike and intense protests in Tel Aviv since war's inception aimed to coerce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate with Islamic Hamas for the hostages' release. Supporters of the government accused the protest movement of strengthening Hamas and justifying their hardline stance in negotiations. A labor court ordered an end to the strike on Monday afternoon, citing its political nature.
The Israeli army revealed on Sunday morning that six bodies were discovered within a subterranean tunnel in the Gaza Strip's southern region. The Israeli Ministry of Health estimated that the hostages were executed at close range 48 to 72 hours before the autopsy, based on media reports. In contrast, a Hamas representative claimed the hostages perished due to Israeli bombardment.
The death of another hostage with German ties
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson commented on the murder of six more Hamas hostages, stating it was almost unbearable. Among these victims was an individual with ties to Germany but no German citizenship. Carmel Gat's sister-in-law, Yarden Romann-Gat, who had been released by Hamas in late November as part of an Israeli government agreement, possesses both Israeli and German citizenship.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz pledged a stern response following the hostages' demise. "Hamas has brutally executed six hostages to plant fear and attempt to divide Israeli society," Katz wrote on X. "Israel will retaliate forcefully against this heinous crime. Hamas is responsible and will bear the full consequences."
Disruptions at airports
Employees from various organizations and authorities went on strike due to the slow pace of negotiations for the remaining 101 hostages' release. Many cities and communities participated, while others refrained, due to their proximity to the government.
Air traffic disruptions and delays at the international Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv persisted, despite declarations of smooth operations from the airport authority.
However, an Israeli labor court ordered the nationwide strike, originating on a 24-hour schedule, to be called off at 2:30 PM local time (1:30 PM CEST). Judge Hadas Jahalom granted a temporary injunction, reasoning that the strike was politically motivated, complying with an application by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Both Smotrich and the far-right police minister Itamar Ben Gvir have rushed to criticize Prime Minister Netanyahu and threatened his government's collapse for Hamas concessions.
Protests in Tel Aviv
Protesters called for an immediate resolution on Sunday evening, resulting in Tel Aviv and other cities witnessing clashes with authorities overnight. According to police reports, 29 individuals were detained.
Participants of the demonstration blocked a central highway in the evening. According to news outlets, they hurled stones, debris, nails, metal objects, lit fires, and launched fireworks into the air. The police ultimately reopened the highway and deployed stun grenades.
"We will not abandon them," protesters chanted in Tel Aviv, in reference to the hostages still held by extremist groups. They marched through the city's central streets bearing Israeli flags. Symbolic coffins for the six slain hostages were displayed on stage.
Negotiations at a standstill
For months, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, have stalled. According to The Washington Post, mediators planned to present both sides with a final agreement proposal within a few weeks. If neither side accepts the proposal, it may signal the end of negotiations, as suggested by a high-ranking official in the Biden administration. The discovery of the dead hostages in Gaza has further emphasized the urgency of reaching an agreement.
The main disagreement in the negotiations revolves around how long Israeli troops can maintain their presence at the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza, adjacent to the Egyptian border. Israel's Security Cabinet recently decided to maintain control of the corridor. In a statement, hostages' relatives accused Netanyahu and his partners of sabotaging the ceasefire agreement for the corridor and consciously condemning the hostages to death.
Polio vaccination campaign underway
Over 72,000 children in the Gaza Strip have received polio vaccinations since the launch of a vaccination campaign, as reported by the local health ministry. Following the report of a polio paralysis case in the disputed coastal region for the first time in 25 years, the World Health Organization plans to immunize around 640,000 children against the highly infectious virus. Two doses of the vaccine are typically administered four weeks apart.
During the vaccination campaign, which began on Sunday and is projected to persist for approximately a week, covering other parts of Gaza, Israel's army announced limited ceasefires at specific times and locations.
The Gaza conflict began with the deadliest massacre in Israeli history, claimed by Hamas and other radical factions along the Israeli border region on October 7, 2021. Since then, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza conflict has surged to over 40,700, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in the coastal region. This figure fails to distinguish between combatants and civilians, making verification challenging.
The protest movement in Tel Aviv has continued to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to negotiate with Hamas for the release of hostages, with protesters accusing the government of Strengthening Hamas and justifying their hardline stance in negotiations. Despite the labor court's order to end the strike, protests remained a significant presence in Tel Aviv, with protesters chanting "We will not abandon them" and displaying symbolic coffins for the slain hostages.
