General strike in West Bank shows solidarity with Gaza amid Israeli genocide

Occupied West Bank grinds to a halt as Palestinians demand an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.

Shopkeepers keep their shutters closed in Bethlehem, West Bank, on April 7, 2025, in response to a strike organized by Palestinians protesting Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

In a powerful display of unity and resistance, a general strike in the West Bank brought life to a standstill across cities, villages, and refugee camps on Monday, April 7. From the early hours of the morning, streets stood empty, shops remained shuttered, and transport systems came to a halt. The strike, called by Palestinian national and Islamic forces, aimed to express unwavering solidarity with Gaza and to demand an immediate end to what many are calling Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

As Anadolu Agency correspondents on the ground reported, the impact was felt across all facets of daily life. Economic activity ceased completely, government institutions locked their doors, and private sector operations were suspended. Even public and private schools, along with all banking services, paused their functions in a unified message of defiance and protest.

This West Bank protest is not just a local response but part of a larger, globally coordinated effort. Palestinian leaders echoed the call for a world general strike, urging the international community to raise its voice against the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. The official statement released on Sunday described the strike as a necessary action to “amplify the voice of the people and highlight the massacres and heinous crimes committed by the (Israeli) occupation.”

With nearly six months of sustained attacks, Gaza has been left in ruins. The death toll has surged past 50,700 since the start of the Israeli assault in October 2023. The vast majority of the victims are women and children, targeted in relentless airstrikes and ground operations that have leveled entire neighborhoods. Humanitarian corridors have been blocked, hospitals have been reduced to rubble, and international aid workers have described the situation as one of the worst human catastrophes in recent memory.

Since March 18, Israeli forces have once again intensified their attacks. The temporary ceasefire that began in January 2025 has been shattered. Palestinian civilians, already displaced and starving, are being forced to flee again, with nowhere safe to go. In his latest statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly vowed to escalate the assault further, following a strategy aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial push to expel Palestinians from Gaza entirely.

In response, the general strike in the West Bank has become more than just a symbolic gesture. It is a direct challenge to Israeli aggression and a public denunciation of the silence of the international community. The Palestinian national and Islamic forces emphasized this in their declaration, stating that the genocide continues “amid the failure of the international community to impose sanctions on the Israeli occupation or hold its terrorist government to account.”

The streets of Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem were eerily quiet on Monday. Instead of the usual bustling scenes of vendors and students, the air was heavy with anger, sorrow, and determination. Posters in support of Gaza hung on walls, and Palestinian flags waved in empty courtyards. But the silence was only temporary.

Organizers and citizens are preparing for mass demonstrations in the coming days. These protests aim to send a clear and unwavering message to world leaders: the Palestinian people will not remain silent while Gaza is reduced to rubble. Already, local organizing committees have confirmed that marches will take place in front of UN offices, diplomatic missions, and international NGO headquarters across the occupied West Bank.

In Nablus, a resident who gave only his first name, Mahmoud, spoke passionately about the need for the strike. “We cannot continue life as usual while our brothers and sisters in Gaza are being exterminated,” he said. “This is not just solidarity—it is resistance. It is our duty.”

His sentiment is shared across the occupied territories. In refugee camps such as Balata and Dheisheh, volunteers handed out leaflets and coordinated relief efforts for families with ties to Gaza. Activists used social media to document the empty streets and closed institutions, under hashtags like #StrikeForGaza and #WestBankSolidarity.

While Palestinians have long used general strikes as a form of non-violent resistance, this latest action carries deeper urgency. Analysts say that with international diplomacy failing to yield any meaningful pressure on Israel, Palestinians are taking matters into their own hands—through civil disobedience, international appeals, and unwavering community resilience.

The Palestinian Authority has remained largely sidelined in recent months, as trust in traditional political institutions continues to erode. Many residents see grassroots organizing and collective action as more effective tools in confronting both occupation and global apathy.

At the same time, international reactions to the Palestinian strike have been mixed. Some human rights organizations and civil society groups in Europe and South America have issued statements in support. Demonstrations in London, Madrid, Cape Town, and Jakarta were held in tandem with the West Bank action. Yet major Western governments, including the United States, remain reluctant to criticize Israeli policy directly—often repeating the same refrain about “Israel’s right to defend itself” without acknowledging the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza.

This disconnect has only fueled anger among Palestinians, who view the lack of accountability as tacit approval for Israel’s actions. “If the world refuses to act,” said one protester in Hebron, “then we will make them see us. We will make them hear us.”

As the dust settles on this day of mass closure, one thing is certain: the general strike in West Bank has reasserted Palestinian agency at a time of unprecedented suffering. It is a reminder that while Gaza burns, the rest of Palestine refuses to look away.

Looking ahead, there is growing speculation that these acts of civil resistance may spread beyond Palestine. Palestinian communities in exile, particularly in Lebanon, Jordan, and Europe, are being called upon to mobilize in similar ways. If the momentum continues, the world may soon witness a broad-based Palestinian movement unlike any seen in recent years—united not by geography, but by the urgency of survival and the demand for justice.

Until then, Gaza continues to bleed. And in the West Bank, the people continue to stand.