West Bank Palestinians stage general strike to protest deadly Israeli strike in Gaza

Middle East Monitor  /  July 14, 2024

Palestinians staged a general strike in several cities in the occupied West Bank on Sunday in protest of a deadly Israeli strike on a “humanitarian zone” in the southern Gaza Strip, Anadolu news agency reported.

At least 90 people were killed and nearly 300 others injured in a strike that targeted the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.

The Israeli army claimed that the attack targeted Mohamed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and his deputy.

According to an Anadolu reporter, shops and businesses closed in Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Jenin and Qalqilya in protest of the Israeli attack.

Tensions have been high across the Occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against Gaza, which has killed more than 38,600 Palestinians since 7 October.

At least 574 Palestinians have since been killed, including 136 children, and nearly 5,350 injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.