Rallies, partial strike resume in Israel over hostage deaths

JERUSALEM -- Rallies and a partial strike continued across Israel for the second day in a row on Monday, as the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in a Gaza tunnel over the weekend has intensified national outage.

Protesters descended on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the return of remaining hostages by negotiating a ceasefire with Hamas.

Protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway in the city of Tel Aviv, Israel's main freeway, for several hours, as well as entrances to railway stations in Tel Aviv and Herzliya, a city north of Tel Aviv.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that thousands of protesters gathered outside Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, urging him to sign a hostage release deal. Some of them carried coffins wrapped in the Israeli flag, the report said.

Nisan Kalderon, brother of Ofer Kalderon, one of the 101 remaining hostages in Gaza, said Netanyahu's decisions "are killing hostages", the report said.

According to a police statement, at least 19 people have been arrested in rallies throughout the country.

Meanwhile, a partial strike that involved the shutdown of cinemas, theaters, restaurants, cafes, and pubs Sunday evening in Tel Aviv returned on Monday, affecting kindergartens, primary schools, universities, hospitals, and banks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities.

Public transportation, airports, and chain stores also slowed or paused operations across Israel.

The strike was then called off at 14:30 local time (1130 GMT) following a court ruling that inadequate notice had been given.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said six bodies, including two women and four men, were discovered on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area, southern Gaza.

According to an initial assessment by the IDF, the hostages were estimated to be murdered by Hamas about 48 to 72 hours before the Israeli troops reached them.

All six were taken hostage during Hamas' surprise attack on Oct 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and approximately 250 others captured.

Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed in a press statement that the bodies were found by the Israeli army in a tunnel in Rafah but noted that they "were killed by Israeli shelling".

Many Israelis have been blaming Netanyahu for failing to secure the hostages' release through a ceasefire deal.