Students at dozens of high schools strike on 1st day of academic year in call for hostage deal

1 September 2025, 8:13 am

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Students and parents protest for a hostage deal at the Nahalal Interchange on September 1, 2025 (Tzvika Golan/pro-democracy protest groups)

High school students at dozens of schools are striking on the first day of the academic year in a demand for a hostage deal.

The students are refusing to return to classes in light of the continuation of the Gaza war and the government’s perceived foot-dragging in ceasefire deal negotiations.

Yesterday, dozens of teenage protesters blocked traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway and set fire to classroom desks, demanding a general strike ahead of the start of the academic year.

Police arrested two protesters, a 17-year-old boy and a 35-year-old woman, on suspicion of disorderly conduct. Around 20 others were detained at the scene and later released.