Hostage deaths sparks nationwide strikes, protests in Israel

Israeli protesters have voiced their anger at the government's failure to reach a ceasefire agreement and hostage release deals with Hamas as a nationwide strike continued into a second day on Monday.

The deaths of six captives in Gaza at the weekend has triggered outrage among Israeli residents, with hundreds of thousands pouring onto city streets to express their fury and step up calls for the release of hostages in Gaza.

As the public anger escalated, Israel's largest trade union, the Histadrut, launched a general strike on Monday, the first since the conflict erupted last October. It aims to shut down or disrupt major sectors of the economy, including banking, health care and the country's main airport.

Medical workers in Israeli hospitals and medical centers went on strike while many government departments also suspended public services.

The light rail system in Jerusalem suspended operations till noon, while flights at Israel's main international airport, Ben Gurion, were halted for around two hours earlier in the morning. However, the travel chaos continued later in the day as many flights were still delayed or canceled as visitors waited in long lines at the airport. Street protests also resumed across the country on Monday, with thousands gathering on one of Tel Aviv's main roads and even setting up barricades to block off the entire street and prevent vehicles from passing through.

Those attending the rally expressed their dissatisfaction at the government's decision-making, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops would remain at the Philadelphi Corridor, a 100-meter wide and 14-km-long buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border.

"The government announced this week that they prefer to keep the Philadelphi Corridor, which means that the deal and all the negotiations will explode. Why now do you have to announce it like publicly, all over the world, while the negotiations are in process? It's really disturbing, and we really hope that this government will change their mind or will take responsibility and go home and let other people deal with the situation," said Maya, a protester.

The protests intensified as crowds spilled into many main roads and intersections across Tel Aviv, holding aloft pictures of hostages and waving yellows flags, with the demonstrations lasting for several hours and causing significant traffic jams in many areas of the city.

"We are demanding a deal, a hostage deal to get everyone out. We are demanding from the government to stop putting anything that is in the way of having a deal. We don't want it in any other way, because in any other way, people are losing their lives," said Mor, another protester.

Hostage deaths sparks nationwide strikes, protests in Israel

Authorities in east China's coastal provinces Zhejiang and Jiangsu have launched emergency evacuation of residents to help mitigate the impact of Typhoon Bebinca -- the 13th typhoon of the year.

In Zhejiang's Pinghu City, communities have started the relocation work. The old town area of Xindai, home to about 1,400 permanent residents, including some 30 percent elderly, has been a focus of evacuation efforts.

Over 50 elderly residents have been evacuated to a temporary courtyard shelter, where they have plenty of space for meals and walking around. The shelter is equipped with folding beds, food, drinking water and medical staff standing by to address any health concerns.

The province also raised its emergency response for typhoon prevention to level II.

In Jiangsu Province, Nantong City has conducted comprehensive safety inspections and organized evacuations in key areas.

Nantong's Rugao Port on the Yangtze River was shutdown on Sunday afternoon.

All workers at the Zhangjiagang-Jingjiang-Rugao Bridge construction site -- located at a river shoal -- are evacuated ahead of the storm attack.

"From the temporary ferry to the Rugao-Zhangjiagang ferry, we have evacuated a total of 428 people. So far, all construction personnel of the Zhangjinggao Bridge within the scope of this construction site have been evacuated to our shelter," said Ding Xiaoxing, chief engineer of Rugao Water Affairs Department.

Authorities in Nantong has evacuated more than 1,400 people and over 200 vessels along the coastal area under its jurisdiction.

Making landfall in Shanghai on Monday morning, Typhoon Bebinca is the most powerful tropical cyclone directly hitting the Chinese financial hub in more than seven decades.

Zhejiang, Jiangsu evacuate residents as Typhoon Bebinca lands in east China