A major labor union in Italy calls for a national strike in protest of the "Gaza massacre."

The main Italian union "CGIL" called on Tuesday for a national mobilization day next Friday, in condemnation of the extensive ground attack launched by the Israeli occupation army on the city of Gaza.

During a press conference in Rome, the Secretary-General of the Italian General Labor Union, Maurizio Landini, stated: "This massacre must be stopped, as well as the displacement of the Palestinian people, absolutely," confirming that the union has decided to organize strikes and demonstrations on Friday, September 19.

Landini urged European governments to "suspend all trade and military cooperation agreements with Israel until this war ends," clarifying that essential public services such as schools, transportation, and health will not be affected by the strike due to the late official notice.

This announcement coincided with popular Italian support for the Palestinian people, as 18 ships left the port of Catania in southern Italy heading towards Gaza last Sunday, to join the international resilience fleet, which is the largest global maritime movement to break the siege imposed on the region.

This comes hours after the Israeli occupation army announced a large-scale ground attack on the city of Gaza early yesterday, Tuesday, as part of an operation dubbed "Gideon's Chariots 2," which included the demolition of homes using explosive robots, artillery shelling, random gunfire, and forced displacement operations.

This escalation has drawn strong condemnations from the United Nations, the European Union, and Britain, amid confirmations from international organizations that the ongoing Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023, which is approaching its third year, has turned into a genocide supported by the United States.

According to the latest toll from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Israeli aggression has resulted in the martyrdom of 64,964 Palestinians and the injury of 165,312 others, the majority of whom are women and children, while the famine caused by the siege has led to the death of 428 people, including 146 children.