General strike in several regions of Lebanon 'to denounce the massacres in Gaza'

A relative mobilization was taking place Monday in several regions of Lebanon, where a general strike day is being observed to mark the "day of anger" launched from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian factions.

This strike was notably being observed in Saida, Sour and Palestinian camps in the region. Classes were suspended in several schools, while many shops and official or private institutions have closed their doors, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon.

In Saida, the souks were deserted Monday morning and the shutters drawn on the shop fronts.

Sit-ins in the Bekaa, Saida and Tripoli

Among the several solidarity sit-ins organized in Lebanon, one included staff from the government hospital in the Bekaa, who “condemned the massacres committed against innocent people and the shameful silence of the international community.”

In Saida, employees of the Rahi hospital, some wearing keffiyehs and waving the Palestinian flag, also denounced “genocide” against the Palestinian people, as well as “ongoing aggression against Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.”

In Tripoli, trade unions organized a demonstration in front of the municipal Serail in the presence of mayor Riad Yamak and representatives of Palestinian factions.

Other demonstrations are planned for later in the day, notably in Saida, where a demonstration will start at 5 p.m., from the Elia traffic circle to Najmeh Square in the city center, organized by unions belonging to the Nasserite Popular Organization.

Similar sit-ins will take place late in the afternoon in Beirut, one at 5 p.m. at Ain al-Mreisseh, and a second, at 6:30 p.m., in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). This second gathering is being organized by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Lebanon.

The Makassed Islamic Charitable Association in Lebanon previously issued a statement calling for the denunciation of the "genocidal war" waged by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and "the wild massacres and crimes against humanity targeting children, women, and rescue teams." More than 1,300 people have been killed since the Israeli army resumed its offensive against the enclave on March 18.

Education on international conventions

Meanwhile, in north Lebanon, the Order of Doctors called for a solidarity sit-in at 4 p.m., in front of the organization's headquarters.

Education Minister Rima Karameh invited public and private schools to dedicate teaching time during the day to raise students' awareness of "international conventions that prohibit the killing of civilians and children in times of war."

The Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip has caused the death of at least 50,695 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including more than 15,000 children, according to figures from the Gazan health ministry. This toll does not include the approximately 11,200 missing whose bodies are likely buried under the rubble.