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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rows of closed shops lined the empty streets of East Jerusalem and the West Bank on Monday, April 7, 2025. Palestinians held a mass strike demanding an end to the Gaza genocide. East Jerusalem has been annexed by Israel, while the West Bank has been occupied by Israel.
"I walked through the city today and couldn't find a single open place," Fadi Saadi, a shop owner in Bethlehem, was quoted by Arab News.
Shops, schools, and most public administrative offices were closed throughout the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
In a report from the RFI news agency, a coalition of Palestinian political movements - including rival factions Fatah and Hamas - called for a strike to protest what they described as ongoing genocide and massacre of the Palestinian people.
They called for a strike in all occupied Palestinian territories, including in the refugee camps. Demonstrators highlighted Israel's continued airstrikes on Gaza on March 18, ending nearly two months of ceasefire with Hamas.
Dozens of Palestinian citizens have been killed almost every day since Israel resumed its military attacks.
"Today we close for our families in Gaza, our children in Gaza," said Imad Salman, 68, who owns a souvenir shop in Jerusalem.
"In Jerusalem, in the West Bank, we cannot do anything except what we are doing here now."
In annexed East Jerusalem, the normally bustling Salaheddin Street appeared deserted.
"This strike is a form of solidarity with Gaza and what is happening there, and the war launched against the Palestinian people, whether by (US President Donald) Trump, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, the Israeli government, or the US government," said Ahmed, who did not want to disclose his last name.
"This war must be stopped, the killings and destruction must be stopped, and only peace must prevail - peace, and nothing but peace."
Simultaneously, a protest also took place on Monday in downtown Ramallah in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered.
"This time, the attack is serious, and the residents' commitment is significant because Israeli aggression now affects all Palestinian households, both in the West Bank and Gaza," said Issam Baker, a community organizer in Ramallah.
"We have seen total commitment to support today's attack throughout the West Bank, which has not happened since October 7, 2023, when the Gaza war began," said a security source from the Palestinian Authority.
Since the start of the Gaza war, violence has surged in the West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 918 Palestinian citizens, including militants, in the region since then.
Conversely, Palestinian attacks and clashes during the military assault have killed at least 33 Israeli citizens, including soldiers, during the same period.
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