General strike across West Bank to mourn Hamas' Arouri

A general strike is being observed across the occupied West Bank today following the assassination of deputy chief of Hamas Saleh Al-Arouri in Lebanon yesterday.

Shops, banks, commercial facilities and public institutions were shut, while transport activity has been disrupted.

Palestinian parties and factions had called for joint action as well as protest rallies, holding Israel fully responsible for Al-Arouri’s murder.

An Israeli drone killed the senior Hamas leader in Beirut along with two commanders of the group’s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, according to Hamas and Lebanese media. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility.

However, Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviser, Mark Regev, told MSNBC that though Israel had not taken responsibility for this attack, “whoever did it, it must be clear: That this was not an attack on the Lebanese state.”

“Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” he said.

Al-Arouri was a founding member of the armed wing of Hamas.

READ: Iran condemns Israel’s assassination of Hamas deputy Chief in Lebanon