Life in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem came to a standstill Sunday amid a general strike condemning the Israeli operations in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

"The comprehensive strike includes all governorates of the West Bank, and it represents a Palestinian message of anger over the crimes of the occupation," Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Anadolu Agency.

He pointed out that the military operation in Gaza "requires international intervention to protect the Palestinian people."

The Palestinian Ministry of Education, in the meanwhile, closed down all educational institutions.

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday and said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

At least 350 Israelis were killed and over 1,860 injured in the attack, while several soldiers and civilians were captured by Hamas and taken back to Gaza.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which left at least 313 Palestinians dead and nearly 2,000 injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.