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Israel Gaza latest: General strike begins as anger over hostage deaths erupts into protest demanding ceasefire

Families of captives blame Benjamin Netanyahu after bodies of six captured by Hamas found killed just days before

Tara Cobham,Barney Davis
Monday 02 September 2024 10:43
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Netanyahu decries ‘terrible, cold-blooded murder of six hostages’

A general strike has led to closures across Israel after anger over the deaths of hostages in Gaza erupted into protests demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree a ceasefire deal that will bring the captives home.

Municipal services in several Israeli districts were disrupted on Monday – including at the country’s main international airport, hospitals, businesses and banks – after the head of Israel’s biggest labour union, the Histadrut, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers across the economy, called for the strike on Sunday.

It followed the return of six hostages, who were shot dead between 48-72 hours before Israeli forces found them in a tunnel in Rafah, according to health ministry estimates.

The discovery of their bodies prompted at least half a million people to take to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in protest on Sunday, as pressure mounts on Nethanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Anger is growing among the families of the captives, who blamed Netanyahu for the deaths of their loved ones. The Hostage Families Forum said: “The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages.”

Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were all captured by Hamas during the 7 October attack that ignited the Gaza war.

1725270190

Lindsey Graham brands Harris a ‘wrecking ball’ on Israel after six hostages found dead in Gaza

Donald Trump loyalist Lindsey Graham went on the offense against Kamala Harris on Sunday calling her a “wrecking ball” for her stance on Israel’s war with Hamas, after it was announced that six hostages had been found dead in Gaza.

Graham appeared on ABC’s This Week on Sunday and opened up a line of attack against Harris’s foreign policy credentials – something that the Trump campaign has been trying to get off the ground this past week as it pushes back on criticism over a controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery and a host of issues related to his running mate JD Vance.

“I would say on foreign policy, she [Harris] has been a wrecking ball,” Graham said on Sunday.

My colleague John Bowden reports from Washington DC:

Lindsey Graham brands Harris a ‘wrecking ball’ on Israel after 6 hostages found dead

Republicans intensify attacks on Biden-Harris foreign policy as Middle East conflict escalates

Tara Cobham2 September 2024 10:43
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Hamas armed wing claims responsibility for two attacks in West Bank

Hamas' armed wing al-Qassasm brigades claimed responsibility for two attacks against Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the group said in a statement on Monday.

Tara Cobham2 September 2024 10:27
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In pictures: Half a million people take to streets of Israel in protest on Sunday

The discovery of the bodies of the six hostages’ triggered deep shock in Israel
The discovery of the bodies of the six hostages’ triggered deep shock in Israel (Paulina Patimer)
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas (Elad Lavi)
At least half a million people took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in protest on Sunday
At least half a million people took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in protest on Sunday (Paulina Patimer)
Protesters are demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree a ceasefire deal that will bring the captives home
Protesters are demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree a ceasefire deal that will bring the captives home (Paulina Patimer)
Tara Cobham2 September 2024 10:14
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Anger over hostage deaths erupts into protests demanding ceasefire and deal to bring captives home

The strikes follow months of protests by families representing some of the hostages and underscore the deep divisions that have opened up in Israel over Netanyahu's approach to securing a ceasefire deal.

Despite pressure from his own defence minister as well as senior generals and intelligence officials, Netanyahu has insisted on maintaining Israeli troops in key points of the Gaza Strip after any ceasefire.

Hamas has rejected any Israeli presence and despite the efforts of Egyptian and Qatari diplomats and repeated visits to the region by senior US officials urging a deal, there has been no sign of a breakthrough in talks to halt the fighting and bring the hostages home.

Hamas still holds 101 hostages from the 253 seized when gunmen rampaged through Israeli communities around Gaza last October, killing 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and triggering a relentless Israeli assault that has laid waste to Gaza and killed more than 40,600 Palestinians.

People block a road during a protest in Israel on Sunday, demanding an agreement that leads to the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip
People block a road during a protest in Israel on Sunday, demanding an agreement that leads to the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip (AP)
Tara Cobham2 September 2024 09:37
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Israeli labour strike to push for Gaza hostage deal disrupts flights and buses

Municipal services in several Israeli districts were disrupted on Monday after the country's biggest labour union launched a general strike to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into agreeing to a deal to bring Israeli hostages in Gaza home.

The head of the Histadrut union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers across the economy, called for the strike on Sunday after the bodies of six hostages were recovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

The return of the hostages, who were shot dead between 48-72 hours before being found by Israeli forces, according to health ministry estimates, triggered deep shock in Israel, prompting at least half a million people to take to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in protest on Sunday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sought to have the strike call dismissed by Israel's Labour Court, which was due to meet mid-morning but numerous sectors were affected by the strike call, which was backed by many employer groups including manufacturers and the high tech sector.

Some services at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main air transport hub, were suspended, although incoming flights were still landing while bus and light rail services in many areas were either cancelled or only partially functioning.

Workers at Israel's main commercial port Haifa were also on strike.

Hospitals were only partially operating and banks were not working but many private sector businesses were open. However employers were allowing staff to join the strike so many services were disrupted.

Tara Cobham2 September 2024 09:33
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Donald Trump claims October 7 crisis wouldn’t have happened if he was president

Republican candidate Donald Trump, said on Truth Social: “The Hostage Crisis in Israel is only taking place because Comrade Kamala Harris is weak and ineffective, and has no idea what she’s doing.

“I look forward to seeing her at the Debate! Biden failed, and now he spends his day on the beach, plotting and scheming how to take out his once Political Opponent, ME, who took him out both at the Debate, and otherwise. THE OCTOBER 7th ISRAELI CRISIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IF I WERE PRESIDENT!”

(AP)
Barney Davis1 September 2024 18:25
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Biden meets with parents of Hamas hostage

President Joe Biden has met with parents of Israeli-American hostage killed.

Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including a young Israeli-American man who became one of the most well-known captives held by Hamas as his parents met with world leaders and pressed for his release.

The military said all six had been killed shortly before they were to be rescued by Israeli forces. Their recovery sparked calls for mass protests against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who many families of hostages and much of the wider Israeli public blame for failing to bring them back alive in a deal with Hamas to end the 10-month-old war.

A White House Official has said: “This morning, President Biden spoke with Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, to offer his condolences for the death of their son at the hands of Hamas.”

It came as the young members of hostage families are currently leading a funeral procession through Tel Aviv, carrying symbolic coffins.

The families of the hostages are calling people throughout Israel to take to the streets and “choose to be on the right side of history”.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Barney Davis1 September 2024 17:25
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Three Israeli police officers shot dead on West Bank

Palestinian militants killed three Israeli police officers on Sunday when they opened fire on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has carried out large-scale raids in recent days.

The attack took place along a road in the southern West Bank. The raids have mainly been focused on urban refugee camps in the northern part of the territory, where Israeli forces have traded fire with militants on a near-daily basis since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

The police confirmed that all three killed were officers and said the assailants slipped away.

One of the officers killed was Roni Shakuri, 61, from the southern town of Sderot near the Gaza border, police said. His daughter, Mor, who was also a police officer, was killed in a battle with Hamas militants when they tried to take over the Sderot police station during the Oct. 7 attack.

A little-known militant group calling itself the Khalil al-Rahman Brigade claimed responsibility for the shooting on Sunday. Hamas praised the attack as a “natural response” to the war in Gaza and called for more.

Israel Palestinians
Israel Palestinians (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Barney Davis1 September 2024 16:25
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Senator Lindsey Graham is ‘heartbroken, devastated, mad’ over hostage deaths

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said told ABC News’ This Week that he is “heartbroken, devastated, mad” over the deaths of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered in Gaza on Saturday.

Tara Cobham1 September 2024 15:58
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Watch: Netanyahu decries ‘terrible, cold-blooded murder of six hostages’

Netanyahu decries ‘terrible, cold-blooded murder of six hostages’

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decried Hamas’ “terrible, cold-blooded murder” of six hostages recovered in Gaza. He was speaking after Israel’s military on Sunday 1 September announced the recovery of the bodies, including a young Israeli-American man. They said all six had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces trying to rescue them. Mr Netanyahu accused Hamas of killing them in “cold blood” and said Israel would hold the group accountable. He also accused the group of scuttling ongoing cease-fire efforts.

Tara Cobham1 September 2024 15:41

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