Municipal services in several Israeli districts were disrupted after the country’s biggest labour union launched a general strike to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into agreeing to a deal to bring Israeli hostages in Gaza home, Reuters reports.

The head of the Histadrut union, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers across the economy, called for the strike on Sunday after the bodies of six hostages were recovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sought to have the strike call dismissed by Israel’s Labour Court, which was due to meet mid-morning but numerous sectors were affected by the strike call, which was backed by many employer groups including manufacturers and the high tech sector.

Some services at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, were suspended, although incoming flights were still landing while bus and light rail services in many areas were either cancelled or only partially functioning.

Workers at Israel’s main commercial port Haifa were also on strike.Hospitals were only partially operating and banks were not working but many private sector businesses were open. However employers were allowing staff to join the strike so many services were disrupted.