Thousands of Palestinian people rolled out demonstrations and protests in cities and towns across the West Bank since Sunday, to issue an appeal to the international community for immediate action to stop the war and starvation in the Gaza Strip.
The demonstrations were launched ahead of the national and international day in support of Gaza and the prisoners, which fell on Sunday.
"The message is to build an international solidarity movement, a unified front worldwide, to end the occupation, stop the war in Gaza, allow the immediate entry of relief and humanitarian aid, and take steps with clear legal tools to prosecute and hold Israel accountable for what it is doing to the Palestinian people," said Issam Bakr, a coordinator with the Palestinian National and Islamic Forces.
The demonstrations coincided with a commercial strike from 11:30 to 13:00 on Sunday, affirming the broad participation of all segments of society in conveying their voice to the world.
"The demonstrations emphasize rejection of the ongoing war against two million residents of the Gaza Strip, the policy of starvation, the violations and executions of prisoners in Israeli jails, the widespread and ongoing settlement policy throughout the West Bank, and the rejection of the destruction and demolition of camps and the displacement of their residents, as happened in the Jenin camp and the Tulkarm camps," said Amin Shoman, head of the Higher Committee for Monitoring the Affairs of Palestinian Prisoners and Freed Prisoners.
Organizers and participants said that they will continue their peaceful demonstrations and raise their voices until the world acts to achieve justice for the Palestinian people.
"There are several messages from these activities, which have spread throughout the cities of the West Bank, the diaspora, and various countries around the world, in support of the Palestinian people, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, against starvation, killing, bombing, siege, and everything the Israeli army is doing. These crowds have come out to say, 'Enough with the silence of various countries, enough with the silence of the Islamic and Arab world,' in support of our people who are dying of hunger in Palestine, in the West Bank and Gaza," said Muhammad Alian, a community leader.
Thousands of Palestinians gather across West Bank against war, starvation
The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.
When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.
Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.
"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.
Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.
During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.
"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.
"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.
After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.
The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident
