Emma Maghen Tokatly is the first generation in her family to be born in Israel. Her parents, driven by Zionism, immigrated to Israel from Rome and Tripoli in the late 1980s. The 40-year-old built her adult life in Tel Aviv and, together with her husband Amotz, runs a successful content consulting agency for festivals and clubs.

Maghen Tokatly had been active for years in the protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government. Last month, with a heavy heart, she caught a one-way flight out of Israel along her husband and their two sons. They ended their rental contract ("which again skyrocketed"), stored their belongings in a storage unit ("paying per month") and secured a temporary apartment – in Thailand. They do not know where they will live permanently. "Anything is possible," she says.

The only thing Maghen Tokatly knows is that after years of struggling with the social, political and economic situation in Israel, she needed to find another place for her family – at least for the meantime: "We wouldn't do this at any other time, but we've been fighting for so long. I need a break."

Dror Sadot, 29, has dedicated her adult life to fighting injustice and discrimination, and advocating for an end to the occupation. Among other positions, she served as a spokesperson for the anti-occupation group B'Tselem and prominent Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh.

"The recent elections and protests against the judicial overhaul were turning points," she says from her new home in Berlin, referring to the Netanyahu government's ongoing efforts to weaken the Supreme Court. "While everyone rallied for democracy, few were willing to address the occupation, the lack of Palestinian rights or question what kind of democracy we're actually fighting for. Core principles of the left became taboo. The war in Gaza only accelerated this shift."

Sadot and her partner left Israel less than two months after the October 7 attack. They now reside in the Berlin neighborhood of Neukölln, alongside others who have fled the Middle East – including Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians. In their new adopted home, she and her partner are continuing their tradition of demonstrating for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Rogul, a 48-year-old American Jew from Washington, made aliyah in April. The October 7 massacre convinced him that he wanted to live in Israel permanently, he says.

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This new resident of Tel Aviv says he feels "connected" and "safe" now. Nonetheless, he is worried about the future of Israeli democracy and has been out protesting the government and demanding the return of the hostages from time to time since moving to Israel.

Based on figures provided by organizations, agencies and offices specializing in migration and relocation, tens of thousands of Jews have left their homelands since October 7 – whether heading from Israel or to it – in search of somewhere new and, they hope, safer.

Driven by antisemitism, anti-Zionism, solidarity with Israel, fears of war and the collapse of democracy, or just the high cost of living, dozens of interviews suggest that Jews in the third decade of the 21st century appear to be returning to a life of wandering: heading east with their hearts still in the west, and heading west with their hearts still in the east.

A new wave of immigrants

Because the aliyah process typically spans several months to years, it is too early to know how many Jews are immigrating to Israel in response to October 7 and its aftermath. But the number of files being opened with Nefesh B'Nefesh (a private organization that facilitates immigration from North America) and the Jewish Agency, which assists Diaspora Jews wishing to move to Israel, by individuals who started an aliyah process certainly indicates the possibility of a large influx of immigrants in the coming years.

Since October 7, the number of American and Canadian Jews opening such files has more than doubled compared with the average over the past 15 years, with about 4,300 files opened every year. According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, some 10,500 North American Jews opened aliyah files between October 2023 and June 2024. Initiating an aliyah case requires applicants to furnish substantial documentation, including proof of Jewish heritage, birth certificates, marriage records and extensive personal information – a process one wouldn't likely start without serious intent.

Most of these files have been opened by Jews living in New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Ontario, Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Quebec.

What is driving these families to Israel at a time of a war? Responses provided on the application forms submitted to Nefesh B'Nefesh shed some light on the matter.

"I own a U.S.-based e-commerce fashion brand, which I plan to continue operating from Israel," wrote one applicant. "The recent attacks on Israel and the rising antisemitism in the United States have strengthened our resolve to be with our people in Israel."

Another wrote that he had always aspired to make aliyah, "but life kept presenting challenges. On October 7, 2023, everything changed, and that aspiration became a calling. My heart told me I needed to be where my people are."

Someone else noted: "In the wake of the tragic events during this past Sukkot, I feel compelled to embrace my roots."

Zev Gershinsky, deputy director of Nefesh B'Nefesh, says his organization is "seeing more and more American Jews who say they no longer feel safe in America and don't see a future there for themselves as Jews. Yet the most common reason cited is solidarity with Israel."

That assessment is echoed by Shay Felber, deputy director of the Aliyah and Integration Department at the Jewish Agency. "In conversations with immigrants, we hear first and foremost about their strong sense of identification with Israel and the people of Israel. Immigrants tell us that especially now, they feel that Israel is where they belong, their home," he says, adding: "We do hear about the antisemitism that has unfortunately reared its head in many communities around the world and has made the local communities feel less secure, but this is not necessarily the push to make aliyah."

Typically, when it comes to families and retirees, about 60 percent of North American immigrants are Orthodox Jews. Among the younger 18-30 population, a majority – about 55 percent – are Reform Jews or unaffiliated.

That would include Courtney Smith from San Diego. The 26-year-old, who works in biotech developing early-stage drugs, made aliyah in May. Last month, she began learning Hebrew for the first time at a small ulpan in Tel Aviv, joining about 40 other new immigrants who recently landed in Israel – some despite the war, others because of it.

"I was born into a discriminated minority – I am Black, I am a woman –and I found the Jewish community in the U.S. to be the most welcoming and accepting. That's how I converted and joined another minority group, as a Jew," she explains.

The youngest of four children, Smith grew up in a Christian household in Nebraska. When her father fell ill, the-then 18-year-old searched for answers and found Judaism. "My parents supported me through the conversion process, and even when I started thinking about aliyah before the war," she relays. "On October 7, after reports from the region started coming in, they asked me to stay in the U.S., but I had to disappoint them. It was clearer than ever that I was making aliyah."

This January, she volunteered to pick green onions on a moshav affected by the war. Four months later, she officially moved to Tel Aviv and received Israeli citizenship, leaving behind a well-paying job, family and community for a country at war where she does not even speak the language.

"Am I afraid of the political, security and economic situation?" she asks. "As a minority, I know we live in extreme times. On one hand, I fear the extremeness of [Donald] Trump and his audience. I also follow Israeli politics with concern. There is nothing beautiful about war. I mourn the loss of lives on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. I still have much to learn about Israeli politics and need to educate myself, but I know I feel at home here."

Push and pull factors

Nefesh B'Nefesh's Gershinsky is circumspect when asked if he expects the trend of growing interest in aliyah to continue. "I think it largely depends on what happens in Israel, as well as where America is heading. In the past, we analyzed aliyah mainly based on pull factors in Israel. Today, we also consider the push factors from the United States."

New immigrant Rogul, who relocated from Washington, is a mechanical and biomedical engineer employed by a big U.S. corporation. A second-generation American, he was raised in a Conservative-Jewish home, went to Jewish schools and, in his early twenties, spent time in Israel both as a tourist and volunteer.

"In my twenties, it seemed too complicated and difficult to adapt to life in a foreign country – especially as a young man without a transferable profession or education," he recounts.

But two years ago, in his mid-40s and at the pinnacle of his career, Rogul seized an opportunity to relocate when his company established a branch in Israel. He moved to Haifa, where he managed a diverse team of about 15 employees from India, Israel, Costa Rica and the United States, while maintaining his status as an American citizen working temporarily in Israel.

In mid-October, when his company recalled all of its employees because of the war, Rogul asked to remain in Israel but was required to return with his relocated colleagues for safety reasons.

"I felt profoundly torn and heartbroken," he recalls. "The prospect of leaving was deeply unsettling. Back in Minnesota, I experienced a sense of disconnection; I struggled to comprehend how the world continued as normal. This realization crystallized my need to return, ultimately leading to my decision to make aliyah."

It is not only Americans Jews who are looking for a refuge these days. The number of Jews from Western Europe looking into immigrating to Israel has also surged since October 7.

According to the Jewish Agency, 3,268 French Jews opened aliyah files between October 2023 and July 2024 – a 233-percent jump from the corresponding period the previous year. Among British Jews, there was a 52 percent increase (650 British families this year compared to 420 British families last year).

Although interest in aliyah appears to be up significantly, the actual numbers are down. From October 2023 to July 2024, Aliyah and Integration Ministry figures show that 24,357 new olim arrived in Israel – a drop of 56 percent from the same time the previous year. About 60 percent of these immigrants came from Russia, with only about 15 percent coming from Western Europe or North America. In the first half of this year, 19,800 immigrants arrived in Israel – a 43 drop from the same period in 2023.

The rising number of 'yordim'

Since Israel's establishment in 1948, the number of Israelis residing abroad has been between 572,000 and 612,000 in total.

Traditionally, the Central Bureau of Statistics defined Israelis as emigrants if they stayed abroad continuously for 365 days. This strict definition excluded those who made brief visits to Israel, such as for family or holidays, meaning that they were not considered emigrants – or yordim, as they are referred to in Israel.

Last year, the statistics bureau updated its definition to include Israelis who spent more than 275 cumulative days abroad in the year following their departure. As a result of this change, the number of Israeli emigrants is 2.4 times higher than previously assumed.

About 36,600 Israelis left Israel annually between 2012 and 2021, while another 24,000 returned each year, so that net migration each year was on average about 12,700 people. The overall migration balance has been positive, however, because of the effect of aliyah, with about 22,000 immigrants arriving each year.

Will it stay that way? Prof. Isaac Sasson, a migration expert at Tel Aviv University, estimates that the number of emigrants will double or triple in the coming years, especially among young people.

"In countries like Hungary, which has a population similar to Israel's, between 400,000 and 800,000 citizens left in the last decade," he notes. "If many of the several hundred thousand people who sustain Israel's economy and academia leave, the damage could be irreversible."

Not only will more Israelis leave, he predicts, but fewer will return.

"We're not expecting a million Israelis to leave suddenly, but significant emigration is likely," he says.

In a recent journal article published by the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, Sasson and Prof. Alex Weinreb of the Taub Center predicted a "significant trend" of Israelis leaving the country.

"We consider this a worrying phenomenon," they write, noting that "there is reason to assume that they are considered higher quality human capital than average, and their departure endangers the continuation of economic growth in Israel."

'Significant increase in emigration'

Ilan Ravivo, a 50-year-old from Ramat Hasharon, was born into the Jewish relocation business.

His father, Yitzhak, an immigrant from France, founded A. Universe Transit in the late 1980s, to provide moving and relocation services to French Jews worried about bringing their valuable furniture to Israel. The moving direction was only one way: to Israel.

In 1995, after completing his military service, Ilan Ravivo started working for the family business. The company then began providing services to a new clientele: Israelis looking to leave the country during the wave of terrorism beginning in the mid-'90s, which culminated with the second intifada in the early 2000s.

Between 2010 and 2020, some 57,500 Israelis left the country, according to the statistics bureau – prompting Ravivo's company to further expand its services. In addition to packing, shipping and storage, it began offering real estate services, assistance in finding schools for children and even visa support.

"People always left, but since the judicial reforms, we have witnessed a significant increase in emigration from Israel," Ravivo says, noting that the trend has strengthened since October 7.

A family the company recently helped relocate from Kiryat Motzkin in northern Israel was large and multigenerational, with more than 20 people spanning three generations – including elderly parents, their children and grandchildren – all moving to Spain.

"During our conversation with the family, they expressed their frustration and disappointment with life here," Ravivo relays. "They cited the judicial reform and the fear that there's no longer a place for secular liberals in the country."

In another case, the company assisted a group of about 30 families – more than 100 adults and children – in their move to Thessaloniki, Greece.

Ravivo says his company is also seeing an increase in the number of Israelis seeking to relocate to Portugal, Cyprus, other European countries and the United States. "These are often young families with children, many from central Israel and some from the north," he notes.

But most of the inquiries he gets these days are from what he describes as "people on the fence: they're interested in costs, obtaining foreign passports and considering leaving – but haven't decided yet," Ravivo says.

Recent data from the statistics bureau, corroborated by reports from real estate firms, immigration lawyers and accountants assisting Israelis in cutting their residency ties, indicate that thousands of Israelis have left the country, relocating to the United States, Europe – especially Greece, Cyprus and Portugal – and even Thailand.

While it is still too early to determine how many have left permanently, the figures show that 42,185 Israelis who left the country between October 2023 and this March had not returned by July 2024 – a 12-percent increase compared with the same period last year. October 2023, the month of the massacre, saw a particularly dramatic spike, with 12,300 Israelis leaving and so far not returning – a 400-percent increase compared with October 2022.

The current emigration wave began in the summer months preceding the war, apparently prompted by the government's plan for its judicial overhaul and the perceived threat to democracy. The CBS figures shows 34,500 Israelis who left the country between July and October 2023 had still not returned by the end of May – double the number for the same period in 2022.

Liam Schwartz, head of the relocation department at Goldfarb Seligman, one of Israel's largest law firms, reports a 40-percent increase in requests for visas to the United States since October 7, mainly from professionals in the high-tech, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence industries.

"The number of people reaching out for relocation is the highest I can remember in many years," he says. Many of the requests come from cybersecurity and high-tech companies concerned about the security situation in the country. "They understand that if there's a war in the north [with Hezbollah], they will need to relocate entire departments to safer locations," says Schwartz.

In some cases, companies are responding to pressure from employees to work from outside Israel. In others, requests are coming from employees already stationed abroad who don't want to return, including senior executives, according to the relocation expert.

Among the "hundreds" of relocation requests his office has handled since October 7, many have come from Israelis seeking to move to Tenafly, N.J. – a well-known enclave for Israeli expats, and where Schwartz himself grew up.

Asher Toriel, an accountant specializing in immigration taxation, says that since October, many Israelis have been seeking advice on transferring funds out of the country, including investments and pensions, and into the United States. "The shift is palpable," he says.

Among his recent clients is a woman with U.S. citizenship who left Israel with her children after October 7, whose husband is now seeking to join them. Another client, previously employed at Google in California, had returned to Israel before October 7 but was subsequently evacuated back to the West Coast by Google.

Cypriot safety net

Noam Shani, a molecular genetics specialist, founded a cancer treatment company in Israel, which he managed for 10 years. His wife Alice, served as vice president for marketing and sales at a large corporation. In 2017, after their three children left home, the couple decided to leave Israel.

"During a beach vacation in Thailand, we realized we weren't returning," he recounts. "It wasn't that our life in Israel was unsatisfactory, but we craved change. We didn't want to spend our remaining decades in scientific and medical research, as we had before. We sought a place near family, children and grandchildren – and Cyprus fit the bill."

Although their move was personal, they've since helped hundreds of Israeli immigrants leaving their homeland. Seven years ago, the couple established a real estate company in Paphos, assisting Israelis interested in relocating to the small island nation of about 1 million inhabitants, about a third of whom are foreigners – including approximately 10,000 Israelis.

"The one-hour flight from Israel is particularly appealing," says Shani. "New neighborhoods and international schools are rapidly developing, with demand outpacing supply."

A major draw is the opportunity for non-European citizens to obtain permanent residency by purchasing property worth more than $330,000. "Israelis are seeking safety nets, and Cyprus offers an attractive package," says Shani. He notes that Israelis began moving to the island during the pandemic and that the numbers have picked up since the government announced the judicial overhaul, but especially after October 7.

"The motivations we hear from Israelis have shifted," he says. "They now speak less about investments and vacations – and more about contingency plans in case the situation in Israel deteriorates."

Alice Shani manages a chat group for Israeli women in Paphos. Four years ago it had 20 members; now it boasts 200.

"Most newcomers since the war are families with children and seniors seeking tranquility," she says. "These individuals express existential fears, concerns about the future, perceived dangers of living in Israel and a sense of despair. They're actively seeking solutions."

'Perhaps home is within'

Maghen Tokatly says she never considered leaving Israel, but life there, especially in Tel Aviv, had become far too difficult.

"I'm leaving not because [Benjamin] Netanyahu is in power, but because it's become too hard for me to sustain myself there, in a country that turns against people like me," she says. "I feel I no longer have a place in current Israeli society, where the value of life has eroded, where people like me are seen as hindrances to the war effort, to power. I'm accustoming myself to a state of migration rather than being a rooted plant. Perhaps home is within – not outside."

Rogul, on the other hand, feels that as a Jew, he has no other home but Israel.

"We said 'never again' after the Holocaust, but I'm afraid it's changing. I feel like this – the only Jewish nation in the world – is the only place where I can feel truly safe, even with the missiles and war," he says.

Although Sadot does not plan to return to Israel, neither does she romanticize the immigration experience.

"Immigration is a strange experience, especially to a non-English-speaking country," she notes. "There's the basic challenge of learning a language, finding an apartment and job, and building a new life – not to mention missing friends and family, and worrying about [them]. I think what's crucial for us right now is the ability to breathe. I feel safe here. There's also something liberating about being in an environment where your stance is legitimate, not vilified. Participating in anti-war protests with thousands of people is, at the very least, comforting."

In recent months, a new fear has taken hold of Palestinians in Gaza: polio. Last month, a baby contracted the disease, the first case of polio in the enclave for 25 years, yet another thing to worry about in a life of war and displacement.

While parents' natural response might be to have their children vaccinated – such a campaign began last week – a high-profile influencer has asked whether the vaccine should be trusted, as it has been allowed in by Israel.

Conditions in Gaza are ripe for the spread of disease: inadequate access to clean water, a malfunctioning sewage system, crowded shelters, food insecurity and a collapse of the entire health system, not just the vaccination services.

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The campaign has been launched by the World Health Organization, the Palestinian Health Ministry, UNICEF and other humanitarian organizations, in collaboration with Hamas and Israel, which both agreed to a limited pause in the fighting in certain areas. Hamas is "ready to cooperate with international organizations to secure this campaign," Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, has said.

But in a video on Instagram this week, the activist and vlogger Bisan Owda questions whether the vaccine is truly a benign instrument.

Owda – who is known for her reporting on life under constant threat since the beginning of the war – is also currently nominated for an Emmy Award for her short documentary "It's Bisan From Gaza and I'm Still Alive." She has 4.7 million followers on Instagram.

In the video on the vaccine, she shows a screenshot of an anonymous email she says she received. The message reads: "Hi Bisan, please warn as many people as you can. Someone who wants you all dead will never prevent a disease from doing their dirty job for him. DON'T LET KIDS TAKE THE VACCINE. You know it's bad when Israel wants to take a day break from killing civilians to give a 'vaccine' to protect the civilians it wants to kill from diseases."

In the video, Owda says in English: "The Israeli occupation intentionally killed a whole generation, a whole generation, 17,000 kids. ... How can I trust these people, and trust their trials, to allow the vaccines to enter the Gaza Strip?"

The controversy surrounding the vaccine reflects deep-seated mistrust among Gazans toward any entity not rooted in the local community, including humanitarian organizations.

"I don't trust anything ... I don't trust humanitarian institutions, I don't trust the occupation," Owda declares. "I only trust the memory of my people and my memory."

Such skepticism resonates among Palestinians and pro-Palestinian groups, which often view the Western media as part of the problem when it comes to shortcomings in reporting on the Gaza war, according to a Palestinian journalist who spoke to the Ankara-based Anadolu Agency.

Owda duly showed a screenshot of a France 24 article about the detection of the poliovirus in sewage water in Gaza, as reported by the Gazan and Israeli health ministries, underscoring her skepticism about the news outlet.

She also drew attention to an Arabic headline published by Al Arabiya that read, "'From the Outside': A Palestinian Health Minister Reveals the Source of the Poliovirus." In the article, Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said the virus "did not originate in Gaza but was somehow introduced from outside the Strip."

Some people support Owda's skepticism, echoing sentiments like "polio is not more dangerous than blowing kids into bits," with the vaccine being "just another colonizer move," as a U.S.-based therapist commented about Owda's video.

Still, the majority of people providing their opinion, especially among Gazans, are urging caution. Many people online, including medical professionals, are recommending that Owda delete the video and apologize.

They fear that even more children can die if they do not get vaccinated. "Any child that doesn't take the vaccine and develops polio because of your video is your responsibility," said Sara Al-Saqqa, a surgeon in Gaza.

Israel, of course, hopes that any polio wave in Gaza will not spread beyond the border, but some critics on social media are still speculating that it is taking part in the vaccination campaign merely as a means to polish its image around the world.

Israelis protested in major cities across the country Sunday night to demand that Prime Minister Netanyahu close a Gaza deal after the bodies of six hostages who were murdered in captivity were recovered on Saturday night.

The protest comes after the chairman of the Histadrut labor federation called on Sunday afternoon for a general strike across Israel starting Monday, shuttering businesses nationwide and causing Israel's international airport to suspend operations starting 8 A.M.

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The Israeli army announced on Sunday morning that it had found the bodies of six hostages kidnapped to Gaza on October 7: Almog Sarusi, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino and Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Protest organizers estimated that about 300,000 people gathered in central Tel Aviv to protest and demand a hostage deal.

Hundreds are intermittently blocking a central Tel Aviv highway and lighting bonfires. The police are using a water cannon, mounted police and stun grenades to disperse the protesters. In some areas, violent clashes have broken out between the police officers and the protesters. Fifteen protesters have been detained and cuffed on the ground with plastic zip ties.

Hundreds of protesters broke through the barricades and descended onto the road, calling out "Why are they still in Gaza?" and "Where were you in Sde Teiman?"

After protest groups carried six fake coffins in a procession march on a central Tel Aviv road, Histadrut labor federation chairman Arnon Bar-David said at the mass protest in Tel Aviv: "This afternoon, I made the decision to halt the Israeli economy from tomorrow morning onward. I'm here to fight so that no one gets left behind! Jews don't abandon Jews, what's unclear about that? … It makes no sense that our children will die in tunnels because of political considerations!"

He added: "We refuse to remain indifferent to the fact that our country has become one of abandonment! The economy has also been abandoned. As head of the Histadrut, the country is on its way to political ruin. We must stop this … coalition money is still going to unneeded ministries. Tomorrow morning, all of Israel will not go to work … including ports, factories, and offices."

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan, said at the Tel Aviv protest: "My son is still alive, but every day is like a game of Russian roulette that Netanyahu is playing until all the hostages have died. We won't let him!"

The hostages, she said, were "sacrificed on the altar of the Philadelphi route" and could have been saved. "My friends who got the terrible news: you're not alone ... I promise that the deaths of your loved ones won't be in vain.

"The prime minister is torpedoing the deal in cold blood. This wasn't supposed to be a political issue at all," she said, "but now political considerations are in one hand and the hostages are in the other.

"Netanyahu tried to feed me lies that he'd bring back [her son] Matan. But in history books, there won't be enough room to write about the disaster you have brought upon us," Einav said.

Omri, brother of hostage Idan Shtivi, led the crowd in a chant of "No more abandonment – we want them back!"

Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi spoke to the crowd, saying: "I'm sorry we were indifferent, I'm sorry we were polite, I'm sorry we didn't make noise," he said. We were close to getting the hostages back, "but the government did not think their lives were worth it."

"[A total of] 101 hostages are still in Gaza. How long can they hold on? We need to get them out now! Bibi, what have you done? They're shouting at you from the ground. It's not too late, there are still people alive, bring them home now! If you can't or don't want to, get out of the way and make room for someone who can!"

Nadav, son of hostage Lior Rudaeff, said: "For 331 days, his body has been held in Gaza. Today is the beginning of the school year, but it seems that the members of the cabinet have forgotten their civics lesson: there is a contract between the government and the people, to protect them …we don't abandon people in captivity!"

"We say, no more! No more abandonment!" The hostages who were killed "went through horrors that you, members of the cabinet, wouldn't have survived a day of," he added.

Ofri Bibas, a relative of the Bibas family held hostage, said: "For months, there's been a deal on the table, and I've watched the prime minister refuse it. Do Kfir and Ariel remember what life was like before captivity?" she asked, saying that she's losing hope.

"Your decision to turn off the oxygen for Hamas turns off the oxygen for the hostages. I'm screaming here over six people who survived nearly a year … they could have come back to us if there were a deal!"

"The blood is on the hands of the prime minister and everyone who voted for the Philadelphi route. Human life, and the life of my family, will not be cheapened," added Bibas.

Avi Shamriz, father of hostage Alon who was killed in a friendly fire incident by the IDF, said that on Friday, he passed the message to Netanyahu to save the hostages. "I told him that the total victory will be to bring back the hostages alive. What I got in return from that message was the message of the deaths of six hostages in Hamas tunnels."

"The tragic end of Alon and the other two hostages with him only highlights the issue of the hostages, and the importance of bringing them home now. Only a deal will bring them home, but you're doing the opposite, to ensure there won't be a deal" he said to the prime minister.

Protesters blocked the main entrance to Jerusalem, near the Chords Bridge, for hours on Sunday afternoon. The demonstrators read out the names of the hostages who were murdered by Hamas and addressed ministers: "Members of the cabinet, are you listening? These are citizens you could have brought back alive. You are not fit to lead. We are so disappointed in you."

Grandmother of a kidnapped soldier appealed to Netanyahu: "Say enough is enough, bring back our children, I want my grandson home."

Dozens of demonstrators blocked traffic on roads in various cities across Israel earlier Sunday, including in Tel Aviv, Ra'anana, Rehovot, and Haifa.

A protester was arrested outside the IASA-Guatemala School in Jerusalem, where Education Minister Yoav Kisch was visiting. The minister left the school in a police car.

Protest movement activist Gonen Ben Yitzhak was arrested on suspicion of insulting a public servant in a demonstration outside the home of Justice Minister Yariv Levin in the central Israeli city of Modi'in.

Bar-David, head of Israel's labor federation, said after meeting with the families of hostages earlier Sunday that "it is impossible to stand by anymore and neglect as our children are murdered in the tunnels of Gaza," adding that "a deal needs to be reached, a deal is more important than anything else."

"We are no longer one country," he said, "we are split up into different 'camps.' This must be stopped. The State of Israel must be returned to normal.

"Only our intervention can shock those who need to be shocked here. I call on the people of Israel to take to the streets [on Sunday and Monday] and call on all organizations in the State of Israel to join the strike."

The Hostages' Families Forum said that it "welcomes" Bar-David's decision.

"The social, economic and local leadership is proving itself, in contrast to the state's leadership," the announcement said. "The economy and the country will stop tomorrow, to apply pressure on the cabinet and the prime minister to end the abandonment, save the living hostages, and return the 101 hostages in a deal."

Several municipalities announced that they intend to strike on Monday in solidarity with the families' protest, including the municipalities of Tel Aviv, Givatayim, and Kfar Saba. Several businesses near the Sarona market, near Tel Aviv's military headquarters, announced they were shutting down on Sunday from 6 P.M. to 10 P.M. during the demonstration in the area.

The Israel Business Forum, which consists of 200 business leaders, employing most of Israel's non-unionized workers, also convened an emergency discussion Sunday night.

"The forum joins the Hostage Families Forum's protest and calls on the entire public not to remain indifferent in the face of the daily loss and the abandonment of the hostages to their deaths, when according to the defense establishment, they could have been saved."

Some of Israel's largest law firms also announced that they would "provide legal assistance to any protester who is harmed as a result of violent and illegal police actions, and will take legal action against police officers who use prohibited levels of force."

Israel's Histadrut labor federation (which represents organized labor in Israel) announced on Sunday a general strike across Israel on after the bodies of six Israeli hostages were found murdered in a tunnel in Gaza.

Histadrut labor federation chair Arnon Bar-David announced on Monday that the strike would end at 6 P.M. Shortly after, a Tel Aviv court ruled that the strike must end by 2:30 P.M.

Here is a general look at who's on strike and who's working as usual.

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Striking

■ Ben-Gurion Airport was closed to takeoffs at 8 A.M. Arriving flights will land and usual. At 10:00 A.M., flights began to depart from TLV once again. However, the Histadrut has said that the strike is ongoing, and only a few flights have departed.

■ Transportation: Egged, Dan, Metropolitan bus companies, as well as Jerusalem's light rail, will begin operating at 12 P.M. Tel Aviv's light rail is operating in reduced capacity, Haifa's Carmelit subway is running as usual

■ Israel's Airport Authority, Israel Ports Company, Haifa Port, Ashdod Port, Eilat Port, Hadera Port, Israel Electric Company, Israel's Postal Service

■ Higher Education: Open University, Hebrew University, Haifa University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University, Reichman University, The Technion, The Weitzman Institute of Science, Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts, The Academic College Levinsky-Wingate, Beit Berl College, Netanya Academic College, Wingate Institute, Holon Institute of Technology, Braude College, College of Management Academic Studies

■ Banks: First International Bank of Israel, Discount, Yahav, Bank of Jerusalem, Leumi, Mizrahi, Hapoalim. Call centers will operate in reduced capacity

Unionized public sector

■ All government offices, Knesset, Federation of Local Authorities in Israel

■ Municipalities: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Givatayim, Kfar Saba, Gezer Regional Council. Emek Hefer Regional Council. Menashe Regional Council, Emek Hayarden Regional Council

■ Israel's Immigration Authority, Israel Tax Authority, Israel's Securities Authority, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

■ Manufacturers' Association of Israel, The Farmer's Association, Israel's Builders Association, The Association of Banks in Israel, The Israeli Diamond Industry, Hotels Association, and more

■ Israel's Parks Authority, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Antiquities Authority

■ Jewish National Fund, Keren Hayesod, The Jewish Agency

■ Israel Museum, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, ANU Museum of the Jewish People

■ Education Kindergartens will remain shut, schools will operate until 11:45 A.M.

Services not on strike

■ Hospitals are operating in a reduced 'Shabbat' capacity

■ Perishable goods, medicine will be unloaded at ports

■ Special education and youth shelters

■ Fire departments

■ Magen David Adom (emergency health services)

■ Family clinics are operating in a reduced capacity

■ Israel Electric Company, Mekorot water company operating in reduced 'Shabbat' capacity

■ Supermarkets

■ Daycare up to the age of three

■ Israel Railways