A general strike was called in all cities of the occupied West Bank to protest the assassination of seven Hamas members, including the deputy head of its political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri.
The strike was called by Palestinian armed groups who asked people to stay at home on Wednesday and only go out to demonstrate against the drone attack in Beirut’s suburbs.
The men killed were Saleh al-Arouri, who was also the commander of the Qassam Brigades in the occupied West Bank; Samir Fendi, who commanded the Qassam Brigades in Lebanon; Azzam al-Aqraa, who commanded the Qassam Brigades in southern Lebanon; and members Mahmoud Shaheen, Mohammed al-Rayes, Mohammed Bashasha and Ahmed Hamoud.
All seven will be buried in Lebanon. The funerals of Hamoud and Shaheen will take place on Wednesday in the Palestinian refugee camp of Burj al-Barajneh and Taalbaya, respectively. Al-Arouri will be buried on Thursday in the Shatila refugee camp, Fendi will be buried on Friday in the Rashidiya refugee camp and Mohammed Bashasha will be buried the same day in Sidon.
In al-Arouri’s hometown
Al-Arouri came from Aroura, a town near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Many residents mourned his death and streams of visitors entered and left his family home on Wednesday to pay their respects.
His sister Dalal Muhammad Suleiman, 52, described his death as a seismic event and praised his humility and strength of character, saying he was “like a mountain”.
But her brother had been thinking about the likelihood of her death for a long time, she added.
“While losing him is a deep wound, we will be comforted to know that he followed the path he chose to the end. He dedicated himself to wrestling,” she said.
When al-Arouri was younger, Suleiman said, he had “a love for selflessness, courage and a willingness to give more to others than to himself.”
“Even during his early school years, he avidly followed current affairs, had a keen interest in politics, and his cultural activities were reflected in his office. »
Other townspeople also remember him fondly. A classmate, Nasser Abdel Karim, 58, told Tel Aviv Tribune how they played together at school and went to the mosque together to pray.
Hebron
In Hebron, also in the West Bank, the strike emptied the streets Wednesday morning as merchants heeded the call to close their businesses and people stayed home.
Protesters later took to the streets, waving flags and chanting slogans against Tuesday night’s attack.
Al-Arouri had a long association with Hebron, political activist Mufid Al-Sharbati, 53, told Tel Aviv Tribune.
For Al-Sharbati, al-Arouri’s assassination was aimed at the fight against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
His hope, he said, is that the Palestinian people continue their resistance and that all Palestinian factions reconcile for the common good.
Killing national leaders would only encourage greater acts of Palestinian resistance, said Majd Tamiza, 22.
Others, like barber Suhail Nasser Al-Din, 40, called for a Lebanese response to the killings, saying groups like Hezbollah should respond to assassination of a Palestinian national on Lebanese soil.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the drone attack, but its government has not claimed responsibility for the killings, raising fears the war in Gaza could turn into a regional conflict.
Nablus
The situation was similar in Nablus, where an eerie calm reigned in the streets in the morning.
People on the streets were few and far between, but several stopped to speak to Tel Aviv Tribune about what the killed men meant to them, despite the fact that they belonged to Hamas, seen by many as a rival to the Fatah movement. which governs parts of the occupied West Bank while Hamas governs the Gaza Strip.
Referring to al-Arouri, Tayseer Nasrallah, a member of the Revolutionary Council of the Fatah movement, said: “I admire Sheikh Saleh’s unionist positions and positions. His composure and calmness and eloquence have earned him great respect among Fatah members, and not just within Hamas.
“(He) prioritized the Palestinian cause over party affiliations. His loss is deeply felt by patriots and the Palestinian people. »
“The Palestinian people realize that the path to liberation passes through resistance. Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri… was a dedicated fighter for the liberation of the homeland,” said Ismat Shakhshir, a member of the General Secretariat of the General Union of Palestinian Women.
“The general strike expresses our mourning following his death while condemning the cowardly method of his assassination,” she added.
“The inability of the occupation to make progress in Gaza has led to desperate measures like these. »
Hanan Barghouthi, who was arrested by Israel, said she was deeply sorry for al-Arouri’s death, but believed the Hamas movement would remain resilient and continue to grow through its commitment to its cause.