On Monday, protests and widespread strikes erupted across Israel, fueled by growing anger over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration’s inability to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas that would lead to the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for nearly 11 months.

This unrest followed the discovery of the bodies of six hostages, including 23-year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose remains were found in a tunnel in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza close to the Egyptian border.

Goldberg-Polin’s funeral took place in Jerusalem on Monday. “I apologize on behalf of the State of Israel for our failure to protect you,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the service. His parents pledged that their son’s death would not be forgotten, with his father, Jon Polin, declaring, “May his memory inspire change.”

The protesters are urging Netanyahu to take more decisive action to bring home the remaining 101 hostages, many of whom are believed by Israeli officials to have died while detained. They accuse Netanyahu of stalling negotiations for political gain, as his government relies on far-right allies who strongly oppose any deal with Hamas.

In response, Netanyahu has attributed the lack of progress to Hamas.

Nonetheless, a relative of Carmel Gat, one of the recovered hostages, stated at a news conference that “delays” caused by Netanyahu were the primary barriers to reaching an agreement.

“All six of them were held together and all six of them died in captivity,” explained Gal Dickmann, a cousin of Gat.

“We could have saved all of them.”

The conflict escalated after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 kidnappings. In the ensuing military operations in Gaza, more than 40,000 Palestinians have reportedly died, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Escalating violence has also affected the West Bank, which is another Palestinian territory.

Recent Events:

∎A general strike called by Histadrut, one of Israel’s major unions, led to disruptions in businesses, schools, banks, and airports, aiming to pressure the government to secure a hostage deal with Hamas. Families of the hostages have been urging Netanyahu over the past months to bring back their loved ones. Following the return of the bodies of Goldberg-Polin and five others, around 500,000 people protested in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other cities on Sunday.

∎An Israeli court has mandated that the strikes conclude by 2:30 p.m. local time, but it is unclear if the protesters are following this order.

∎The Washington Post has reported that the Biden administration is preparing to present a final “take it or leave it” proposal aimed at securing a cease-fire and the release of hostages in the upcoming weeks. This plan involves close cooperation with Egypt and Qatar and may represent the last opportunity for an American-mediated resolution.

∎Funerals are occurring for some of the six hostages whose remains were found. During the service for 27-year-old Almog Sarusi, who was abducted from the Nova music festival, his mother said, “You were sacrificed in the fight against Hamas, in Rafah, and in the Philadelphi Corridor. Enough is enough, we need a deal!” According to Israel’s Health Ministry, forensic analysis revealed that the hostages were “murdered by Hamas terrorists with close-range gunfire” 48 to 72 hours prior to their bodies being found.

∎On another front, in Gaza, health teams are racing to vaccinate around 650,000 children against polio. Israel has agreed to temporary pauses in military actions to allow for this vaccination effort. Recently, Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years, with a 10-month-old boy now paralyzed in one leg due to the disease.