A-Infos (en) Russia, AIT: Israel: General Strike to End War (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

A general strike against the ongoing war in Gaza took place in Israel on 
August 17. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and 
protesters blocked roads across the country. Despite the official 
refusal of the Histadrut trade union to support the strike, many 
businesses, local government offices, universities, tech companies, 
restaurants, theaters and other organizations remained closed. -
Protests against the war and the government leading it take place every 
Sunday in Israel. But this time the scale was truly enormous. To the 
sound of drums and horns, demonstrators poured out onto the streets in 
droves on the morning of a nationwide general strike called by two 
organizations, including the October Council, which unites relatives of 
hostages held by Hamas, relatives of those killed in the October 7 
massacre and survivors. In dozens of cities across the country, people 
demanded an end to the war in Gaza and the return of all hostages held 
by terrorist groups in Gaza.

"Every bullet, every blow could end their lives. End the war and end the 
suffering," the demonstrators chanted. Police arrested nearly 40 
protesters who blocked traffic on the roads and, in some cases, clashed 
with the forces protecting the capitalist order who were trying to lift 
the blockade. In the suburbs of Jerusalem, police used water cannons to 
disperse demonstrators who had sat down in a tunnel on Route 16 leading 
to the city. In Tel Aviv, 11 protesters were arrested and charged with 
"disturbing public order and significantly impeding freedom of movement."

Throughout the morning, protesters blocked parts of Route 1, the main 
thoroughfare linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Begin Boulevard in 
Jerusalem, Kaplan Street and Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, Route 4 at the 
Ra'anana Junction, Routes 65, 75 and 89 in northern Israel, and Routes 
443, 40 and 44 in the center of the country. Burning barricades made of 
tires appeared on the roads. On Ayalon Highway, they tried to break 
through, but were pushed back by police, who also confiscated the 
protesters' equipment. According to the Hostages and Missing Families 
Forum, which organized the strike, protesters handed out yellow ribbons, 
a symbol of the hostages, at highway intersections.

Demonstrators also gathered in front of the homes of the ministers of 
strategic affairs, justice, economy, education and the deputy foreign 
minister in Jerusalem, Modiin, Hod Hasharon and Kfar Saba, and in front 
of military headquarters.

"This is just the beginning. We intend to escalate our struggle. We have 
no other choice," said Lishey Miran Lavi, the wife of a hostage.

About 1 million people took part in demonstrations across the country, 
including 500,000 in Tel Aviv.

"We are at a critical moment in Israel," demonstrator Dani Kalmanson 
told the channel. "We cannot continue indefinitely. We are losing all 
these people. Israel can afford to say: 'Let's declare a ceasefire 
immediately. Bring them home.'"

March participant Naama Gild said she came to support the families of 
the hostages. "We don't want to be here every weekend. We just want them 
to go home," she said. "I think some[politicians]are not listening to 
us. I think Bibi Netanyahu is doing Israel a disservice right now. They 
need to listen because nothing is changing."

The climax of the day came in the evening at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, 
now the symbolic center of the hostage movement. Organizers estimated 
that more than 300,000 protesters filled the square and surrounding 
streets, although police did not release official figures.

During the Tel Aviv rally, some members of the "opposition 
establishment" tried to call for "national unity" while voicing support 
for the protest. Among them were the Israeli president and the leader of 
the Histadrut. But public patience is clearly wearing thin. Relatives of 
the hostages who spoke emphasized that the war was pointless and would 
not contribute to the release of the Hamas captives. They spoke of the 
need to stop the fighting and negotiate.

After the speeches, hundreds of people headed to the Likud party 
headquarters, where they lit a fire and clashed with the police. Police 
officers did not allow the protesters to enter the Metzudat Zeev 
building. Videos published online show police fighting with 
demonstrators who were beating drums and chanting anti-government slogans.

The government is responding to the protests with cynical impudence. At 
a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the protests "guarantee a repeat of 
the October 7 atrocities" and reduce the chances of the hostages being 
released. He warned that the rallies would lead to IDF soldiers "having 
to fight this eternal war over and over again." Later, the government 
called up another 60,000 reservists.

It is quite obvious that peaceful protests are no longer enough...

Based on materials from:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/we-want-them-back-israelis-strike-and-protest-in-call-for-hostage-deal-end-of-war/; 
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/protesters-israel-nationwide-strike-demand-ceasefire-release-hostages-gaza/; 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-18/israel-nationwide-protests-end-gaza-war-release-hostages/105664970;
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/a-million-israelis-demonstrate-as-netanyahu-resists-hostage-ceasefire-deal

https://aitrus.info/node/6329
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