DaysofPal- A massive global strike began Monday morning in a powerful show of solidarity with the people of Gaza and condemnation of Israel’s ongoing aggression.
The strike manifested in various forms around the globe, halting daily work, closures of shops and businesses, and public demonstrations. In Arab countries such as Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, both popular and institutional participation underscored widespread frustration and anger over the continuing assault on Gaza.
In the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, the strike took on an official character. The Palestinian Ministry of Education ordered school closures, and government offices followed suit. Throughout occupied Jerusalem, including the Old City, stores were shuttered, and streets were emptied except for scattered pedestrians and a significant deployment of Israeli police.
In Syria, hundreds rallied in Umayyad Square in Damascus. Protesters waved Palestinian and Syrian flags, many donning the keffiyeh, as they demanded an end to what they called Israeli war crimes. According to Syrian state media, the rally was also held in memory of the martyrs in Daraa, recently killed in Israeli bombings.
Meanwhile, Tunisia saw one of the largest student movements since the Al-Aqsa Intifada. All university institutions across the country went on strike, with marches flooding city centers. Students from universities like the April 9 College and Ez-Zitouna gathered near the French Embassy in Tunis, chanting, “Expel the ambassador, France is colonial!”
The strike extended into Mauritania, where over 60 unions and organizations participated, including the Bar Association, Doctors Association, and Higher Education Union. The movement shut down schools, markets, and public institutions, and doctors were urged to support Gaza and protest the targeting of health workers under fire.
In Turkey, particularly Istanbul, the strike hit commercial life hard.
Shops, restaurants, and other businesses remained closed as a symbolic protest against the Israeli attacks. Turkish citizens joined global calls for stronger governmental action to stop the bloodshed.
Beyond the Middle East and North Africa, the global strike resonated in Europe, where pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place over the weekend. Activists decried what they called systemic racism and genocide in Gaza, pointing to the silence of global powers amid widespread civilian deaths.
Palestinian forces and factions demanded yesterday, Sunday, a full-scale strike that would affect every facet of life in the diaspora, refugee camps, and occupied Palestinian territories. They also called on supporters of the Palestinian cause and free people around the world to take part in the strike.
The factions urged for the success of the global strike as a way to raise voices and shed light on the massacres and horrific crimes committed by the Israeli occupation, namely, the killing of civilians, children, and women, and the destruction aimed at forcibly displacing our people.
They also called for urgent action to stop the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, highlighting the international community’s failure to “impose sanctions on the occupation or hold its terrorist government accountable,” according to the factions’ statement.
Activists on social media had launched calls for a worldwide strike in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip in the face of the genocide being carried out by the Israeli occupation forces.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been committing genocide in Gaza, resulting in over 165,000 Palestinians killed or injured, most of them women and children, and more than 11,000 people missing.
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