Flights suspended as Israel faces nationwide election

Israel's main international airport suspended flights on Monday as part of a nationwide strike triggered by public outrage over the deaths of six captives in Hamas tunnels under Gaza.

The strike has intensified calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a ceasefire deal for the hostages, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

The country’s largest labor union, known as Histadrut, has threatened to shut down the “entire” economy, with its chairman Arnon Bar-David warning on Sunday that Israel was “in a downward spiral, and we don’t stop receiving body bags.”

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport confirmed to CNN Monday that it will halt departures and arrivals of flights for two hours.

The general strike, which began Monday morning, reflects growing anger toward Netanyahu – who has been accused by critics of stalling efforts for a deal by some hostage families and their supporters.

It aims to put pressure on the government to secure a deal that would ensure the return of more than 100 hostages, including 35 believed to be dead, being held in Gaza. The vast majority of those hostages were taken during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, when some 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken captive.

Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in multiple cities on Sunday in one of the biggest nationwide protests since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Hamas.

Supporters have vowed a national response, and some protesters returned to the streets in Tel Aviv Monday morning, blocking a major avenue.

The discovery of the six hostage bodies has thrown negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal into question.

News.Az