Israeli Ben Gurion Airport to cease all arrivals, departures on Monday amidst work stoppage
(MENAFN) On Monday, Israel's main international airport, Ben Gurion Airport, will cease all arrivals and departures starting at 8 AM (0500 GMT) due to a general strike. This action is part of a broader effort by Israel’s largest labor union, Histadrut, to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to finalize a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.
The closure of the airport was announced by a Histadrut spokesman, who did not specify when operations would resume. The strike comes as Arnin Bar-David, the head of the Histadrut Labor Federation, called for the shutdown to push the Israeli government into reaching an agreement with Palestinians.
This call for action follows a recent development where the Israeli army reported recovering the bodies of six hostages from the southern Gaza Strip. According an Israeli daily, three of these hostages were initially slated for release in the first phase of the ongoing prisoner swap negotiations. The report suggested that there might have been an opportunity to save their lives if the negotiations had progressed differently.
Hamas has claimed responsibility for the deaths, attributing them to ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Israel estimates that over 100 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza, with some feared to have been killed already. The US, Qatar, and Egypt have been involved in efforts to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to facilitate a prisoner exchange, a cease-fire, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, these efforts have been hampered by Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’s conditions, including a halt to the conflict.
The ongoing conflict, which began with an attack by Hamas on October 7 of the previous year, has resulted in significant casualties. According to local health authorities, over 40,700 Palestinians, including many women and children, have been killed, and more than 94,100 have been injured. This situation has led to international calls for a cease-fire and renewed humanitarian support for the region.
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