JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Sunday for a strike to shut down the economy in order to pressure the government to reach a deal to release the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Lapid, who is also a former prime minister, called on every Israeli "whose heart was broken this morning" to join a major protest in Tel Aviv later in the day. He also called on Israel's main labor union, businesses and municipalities to go on strike.
His remarks came after Israel recovered the bodies of six more hostages from captivity in Gaza.
The powerful Histadrut labour federation, which represents hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, said it was considering a strike and would make a decision later in the day after meeting with families of hostages.
Israel's Manufacturers' Association said it supported a strike and criticized the government for failing to bring hostages back alive, which it called a "moral duty".
"Without the return of the hostages we will not be able to end the war, we will not be able to rehabilitate ourselves as a society and we will not be able to begin to rehabilitate the Israeli economy. We are torn and divided and this is the place to act to unite Israeli society," said association head Ron Tomer.
"The government must ensure that it does everything, for the return of the hostages as soon as possible, even under the limitations of a limited ceasefire, and I call on all businesses in Israel to act to make it happen."
(This story has been refiled to remove an extraneous word in paragraph 4)