Strike in Israel over hostages found dead in Gaza reflects political divisions

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00:00Takeoffs at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport halted for two hours Monday morning.

00:06The disruptions came as the country's largest union called for a general strike to protest

00:11the government's failure in securing a ceasefire.

00:15Despite the inconvenience caused, many passengers were in support of the move.

00:19Anything we can do to raise awareness and progress in whatever we can, the release of

00:24the hostages is worthwhile, even delay.

00:27I feel that I support this strike because really, all of the people in Israel want our

00:37friends and brothers to come back from Gaza.

00:42There's no need to punish the whole state of Israel because of what is happening.

00:46Above all, it's a victory for Hamas.

00:49A labor court in Israel ruled the strike needed to end at 2.30 p.m. local time.

00:54The decision came following a request from the far-right finance minister, who accused

01:00Israel's main union of acting like a political body.

01:04Despite the ruling, ports, banks and hospitals faced walkouts on Monday.

01:08We are striking.

01:09It's a very hard word for physicians who are here to take care of the life and well-being

01:17of our patients.

01:19But we are in a very, very hard situation now.

01:25Protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on Monday, a day after an estimated half a million people

01:30took part in nationwide demonstrations calling for a ceasefire.

01:35Some in Israel, however, prioritized the complete destruction of Hamas over the freedom of hostages.

01:42It's a sentiment echoed by the country's hardline national security minister, who was quoted

01:47in Israeli media boasting about using his power to scuttle a deal.

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