This Sunday, August 17, a day of general strike and blockade is taking place in Israel, initiated by the Hostage Families Forum, to put pressure on the government and call for the return of the hostages.

At 6:29 a.m. (local time), this day of shutdown and disruption in Israel began with the return of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. And the timing is no coincidence; it was precisely at this time that the October 7, 2023, massacre began, explains our correspondent on the ground, Michel Paul. Since early Sunday morning, dozens of roadblocks have been in place, while marches and demonstrations of all kinds are planned throughout the day, after the Hostage Families Forum called for a strike.

The main rally is scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv in the early evening, where a huge Israeli flag, adorned with portraits of the kidnapped, has been unfurled in the "hostage square." Many organizations have announced they will respect the order, including major municipalities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, as well as universities, at a time when the government has announced its intention to take control of the Gaza Strip. This has caused alarm among hostage families, who fear that the operation will result in the death of their loved ones.

The unions did not join the movement

Dafna, whom our special correspondent in Jerusalem, Nicolas Falez, met, is determined to make her voice heard. She has already been mobilizing for two years for an end to the war and the return of the hostages, and she is not giving up: "This is a day off work so that the government understands that the public can no longer bear what is happening with the hostages. We must not buy or spend money; we will truly hold a general strike. We must do everything we can to force the government to change its policy, bring them back, and end the war."

But some hostage families did not join the strike, just as many companies, particularly in the high-tech sector, and even unions, did not respond to the call. While many workplaces generally give their employees a choice, the Histadrut, Israel's largest trade union, did not join the movement. While it still provided its support. In the past, the Histadrut had burned its fingers by ordering walkouts for the hostages and against judicial reform. And this explains its cautious stance this time, which suggests a strike that will affect only part of the country.

“We have to fight, we have no choice.”

"It's disappointing for anyone who isn't joining this strike," says Yossi Havilio, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem. "The Histadrut thinks they could have done more. [...] The mayor authorized our request to strike for an hour or two, so I asked the employees to come and demonstrate." Across the country, it's not always easy to make yourself heard when you're carrying a message for an end to the war. "In Jerusalem, we're in the minority," continues Yossi Havilio. "The majority are the ultra-Orthodox and the right. The mayor is relatively moderate, but he's under pressure from all these elements. We have to fight; we have no choice."

Israeli police said they were preparing for the protests with increased forces. "Thousands of police officers and Border Security Force soldiers will be deployed across the country and in various locations throughout the day," a statement said. Of the 251 hostages captured in the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israel on October 7, 2023, 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 who died, according to the Israeli military.