General strike hits West Bank in solidarity with Gaza

By Qais Abu Samra and Ahmed Asmar

RAMALLAH, Palestine/ANKARA (AA) - A general strike gripped cities, towns, and refugee camps across the occupied West Bank on Monday, in solidarity with Gaza and to pressure for an end to the genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians.

An Anadolu correspondent reported that the strike brought economic life, transportation, and government and private institutions to a close, as preparations were made for mass protest marches.

Government and private schools, as well as banking institutions, all shut their doors, according to Anadolu correspondent.

Palestinian national and Islamic forces issued a statement on Sunday calling for a "comprehensive strike across all spheres of life in all occupied Palestinian territory and the diaspora, joining the global solidarity calls for a general strike worldwide on Monday, in solidarity with Gaza.

The statement urged support for the "global strike to amplify voices and spotlight the occupation’s horrific massacres and crimes in Gaza, and the systematic destruction aimed at displacing our people."

It further demanded urgent action to halt the ongoing Israeli genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, "amid the international community’s failure to impose sanctions on the occupation (Israel) or hold its terrorist government accountable."

Israel resumed its deadly attacks in Gaza on March 18, shattering a ceasefire that took effect in January.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza amid efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

Over 50,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.