General strike observed in West Bank over al-Arouri assassination

Palestinian cities are observing a commercial strike after the killing of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in a Beirut strike on Tuesday. 

Shops were shuttered across the occupied West Bank Wednesday morning as protests were expected in city centres.

"Here in Hebron, like elsewhere in the homeland, we are expressing our sadness for the cowardly crime of assassinating Saleh al-Arouri, who studied here and lived in the city for a long time," Mofeed al-Sharabati, an activist, told Middle East Eye. 

"His assassination is a clear sign the Israeli army is failing in Gaza and so they went to Lebanon."

A sombre feeling prevailed in the West Bank, but residents the killing will not break the will of the Palestinian people. 

"The occupation assumes that by killing leaders they can kill our souls and end the resistance," Suhail Naser al-Din, a Hebron resident, said.

"But as long as there's an occupation there will always be resistance."

Reporting by Mosab Shawer