By Awad Rjoob and Betul Yilmaz

RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian factions called a general strike on Monday to pile pressure on Israel to halt its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the factions appealed to all Palestinians in the occupied territories and refugee camps abroad and supporters to join the planned strike “to highlight the massacres and heinous crimes committed by the (Israeli) occupation, including the killing of civilians, children and women, and the destruction aimed at displacing our people.”

They called for urgent action to halt the Israeli war on Gaza “in light of the failure of the international community to impose sanctions on the occupation or hold its terrorist government accountable."

Last weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza as efforts are underway to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

Nearly 50,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.