RAMALLAH: Palestinians held a general strike Thursday in solidarity with hundreds of prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike for 11 days, with some officials calling it the largest in years.
Stores were closed and shuttered and streets empty across the West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel for 50 years.
In Ramallah, dozens of people gathered at a tent set up in a central square for a protest march.
They set off in the direction of an Israeli military checkpoint but were stopped by Palestinian security forces well before they could reach it.
Others bypassed the Palestinian police and reached the Israeli position, hurling stones at the soldiers who responded with tear-gas and rubber bullets.
There were similar confrontations on the outskirts of Ramallah, near the Israeli settlement of Psagot.
No serious injuries were reported.
“This general strike is unprecedented in years,” said Khalil Rizeq of the Union of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce.
“All Palestinian industries, such as transport, bakeries, stores, all of the private sector and commercial institutions are participating.”
The strike was called in all cities in the West Bank, with only doctors and students nearing graduation excluded.
Palestinian bus services were also on strike in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.
Oday Homaid, a 27-year-old engineer, arrived at Ramallah’s Yasser Arafat Square with other workers from his lift maintenance company to participate in the protest.
It was the “minimum that we can do for our prisoners,” he said.
Munther Karaja, a 42-year-old who had closed his pastry shop, said: “We can sacrifice one day for prisoners who have given years of their lives.”
In the Gaza Strip, banks and government schools were shut.
Palestinian officials say some 1,500 prisoners are participating in the hunger strike that began on April 17, with detainees ingesting only water and salt.
Israeli authorities have put the number at around 1,200.
Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offenses and alleged crimes.
Palestinians strike in support of protesting prisoners
Palestinians strike in support of protesting prisoners
UNICEF chief says GCC central to supporting operations across the region
DUBAI: The Gulf Cooperation Council is playing a central role in combating acute crises affecting children and displaced people across the region, says UNICEF’s Gulf Area Office director, Lana Al-Wreikat.
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit on Tuesday, Wreikat said the GCC had become central to supporting refugees, hygiene and children’s health through funding and diplomatic support.
“Our work with the GCC countries when it comes to the humanitarian crisis goes beyond the refugee response,” Wreikat said.
“We are also dealing with displaced communities inside countries. We also deal with big issues and sectors like the water, sanitation, hygiene, promotion, nutrition, child protection, education. We have our core commitments for children and young people, and these translate across all these sectors. The GCC … has been a very generous donor for us.”
Wreikat revealed the UAE had just announced a $550 million donation for the UN’s 2026 global appeal, part of which goes to funding UNICEF’s operations.
She said Gulf countries had become crucial to supporting the organization diplomatically, especially in difficult situations with access difficulties.
“They also play a big role in terms of the humanitarian diplomacy and negotiations around access, where we really need to support maximum number of children,” she said.
“In terms of their priorities, what’s really high on the agenda is Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria.”
