West Bank brought to halt as Palestinians stage general strike

By Xinhua Published: Dec 12, 2023 10:54 AM

Photo taken on Dec. 11, 2023 shows closed stores in the West Bank city of Nablus. A comprehensive strike in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in protest of Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip paralyzed all aspects of life in those Palestinian territories on Monday. (Photo: Xinhua)

A comprehensive strike in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in protest of Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip paralyzed all aspects of life in those Palestinian territories on Monday.

Commercial activities in cities ceased, along with a complete shutdown of schools and universities, while transportation between Palestinian cities and villages also came to a halt.

The strike even affected bakeries, which closed their doors in compliance with calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Some users of social media platforms have been calling for days under the hashtag "Strike for Gaza" a global comprehensive strike demanding an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Wassel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Xinhua that the strike sends a message to the international community, urging a boycott of Israel and demanding accountability for displacing and committing crimes against Gaza's children, women, and elderly.

Israel has been conducting a wide-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the latter's surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 18,000 Palestinians in the coastal enclave. ■

otest of Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip paralyzed all aspects of life in those Palestinian territories on Monday.