Palestinians in the West Bank went on a general strike on Sunday to protest Israeli military raids on refugee camps that left at least 10 people dead the previous day, in an episode of continued unrest in the region.
The raid was the latest operation in a sweeping economic and security crackdown in the Israeli-occupied territory, even as Israel is waging war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and captured in West Bank attacks since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which Israeli authorities describe as a counter-terrorism operation against Hamas and other militant groups. He explains.
Sunday’s strike closed shops, schools, universities and banks in the West Bank and “paralyzed all aspects of life,” according to the Palestinian state news agency Wafa. Public transportation also stopped.
This is not the first time the occupied West Bank, home to about 500,000 Israeli settlers and about 2.7 million Palestinians, has been shut down as a result of protests in recent months. Israeli authorities tightened restrictions in the region from October 7, revoking thousands of work permits that allowed Palestinians to work in Israel, straining the West Bank’s economy.
And violence in the West Bank has escalated sharply in recent months. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the area since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war. Deadly violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has also reached record levels since October 7.
Two Palestinian men in their late teens were shot dead by Israeli forces early Sunday morning, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The Israeli military said one of the men opened fire on a soldier at a military post north of Hebron, and another tried to stab him.
An Israeli man was slightly injured in an explosion in the West Bank late Sunday morning, Israeli emergency services said. Video footage shared by Israeli news outlets showed him kicking down a Palestinian flag hanging on a pole in a field near the settlement. The flag appeared to have been booby-trapped.
The incidents came after Israeli forces raided the Nur Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank for several hours on Saturday. The military called the attack a counterterrorism operation and said the 10 people killed were militants, but the claims could not be immediately verified.
However, the Palestinian Ministry announced that the Israeli operation in Nur Shams left at least 14 people dead, including a 15-year-old boy. The Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party labeled the operation a “heinous” crime and called on residents of the occupied territories to protest the attack.
The United States has called on Israel to increase commercial engagement with the West Bank, arguing that doing so is important for both Palestinians and Israelis. The war also shocked Israel’s economy, which shrank by nearly 20% in the fourth quarter of last year.
