GAZA, (PIC)
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released on Sunday a video message to the families of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, saying that “Netanyahu is creating more Ron Arads.”
“Netanyahu chose the Philadelphi corridor over the liberation of your captives. They have become part of the history,” al-Qassam Brigades said in its video, which included photos of the six captives found dead recently by the Israeli occupation army.
“You are retrieving them as corpses after deliberately killing them. What kind of heroism is this?” a video caption read.
“Indeed, they were alive, and they were supposed to be released in the first phase of the deal,” the Brigades added.
“If I were given the choice between Philadelphi and retrieving the hostages, I would choose Philadelphi,” the Brigades quoted Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu as saying recently.
In a related context, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday night and a general strike was called amid an eruption of public outrage over the Israeli government’s handling of the war in Gaza after the deaths of six captives being held by the Palestinian resistance.
An estimated 100,000 protested in Tel Aviv, while many others rallied in Occupied Jerusalem in a renewed effort to pressure Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining captives home.
This comes as a major Israeli trade union, Histadrut, has called for a nationwide general strike on Monday to press for a prisoner swap deal.
Government and municipal offices closed their doors on Monday, as well as schools and many private businesses. Israel’s international airport, Ben Gurion, also halted departures and arrivals of flights for just over two hours in the morning.
On Sunday night, Israeli demonstrators cut off the Ayalon highway, the motorway running through the heart of Tel Aviv. They filled the road and lit a bonfire in the middle lane near Hashalom, chanting slogans and carrying banners against Netanyahu and his government, while police forces tried to subdue the protesters.
