Ben Gurion Airport union chief denies strike reports

Pinhas Idan, head of the Ben Gurion Airport workers' union in Tel Aviv, said airport employees did not go on strike, despite information of widespread flight delays and cancellations the previous day.

According to Report, citing The Times of Israel, Idan blamed the chaos on airport management, saying it was caused by a severe staff shortage and excessively long shifts.

"There was no strike yesterday - neither an unauthorized nor a planned work stoppage," Idan said.

He described reports of a strike as "a complete lie." According to him, employees did not demand higher wages or additional benefits.

Idan claimed that workers were physically and mentally exhausted, while airport management made the decision on its own to close check-in counters.

The previous day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expelled Idan from the Likud party amid the chaos at the airport.

Earlier, the Israel Airports Authority said Ben Gurion employees had staged an unauthorized strike, resulting in the closure of check-in counters, the suspension of baggage handling, and delays or cancellations of several flights. At the same time, the Histadrut labor federation said it had not called a strike.