Dozens of suspects have been arrested in a corruption case at the headquarters of the Israeli General Federation of Labor (Histadrut) union, Israeli police said, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.

Representatives of specialized investigative bodies also arrested dozens of suspects in corruption, fraud, breach of trust, as well as money laundering and tax crimes, the police also said.

"The secret investigation, conducted over the past two years, concerns senior officials from the Histadrut, local authorities, as well as state-owned enterprises and companies suspected of receiving bribes and benefits from businessmen in exchange for supporting their interests and financial gains," the police explained.

The Histadrut responded to the arrests by publishing a statement stressing that it was"confident in the innocence" of its employees."We are cooperating with the authorities. The Histadrut's activities for the benefit of society will continue without interruption," the statement added.

With 800,000 members, the Histadrut is Israel's largest trade union and plays a paramount role in Israeli society. Its union headquarters was established in 1920 in Palestine, which was then a British possession, BTA writes.

Union chairman Arnon Bar-David is also among those detained, local media reported. His detention was extended by eight days. An opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies, he had called for general strikes in March 2023 after the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Galant. He repeated his threats during the Gaza war to force the government to reach an agreement on the release of the hostages.