Israeli forces killed 18 Palestinians last night in an air strike on a coffee shop in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, marking the first use of fighter jets in the area since the Second Intifada.
According to Wafa news agency, the missile struck a café in the Al-Hamam neighbourhood, where locals had gathered.
The explosion caused widespread destruction, with video footage on social media showing debris scattered across the street. Ambulances and emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene to assist the victims.
Palestinian security sources described this as the deadliest attack in the occupied West Bank since 2000. The Palestinian Authority said: “We condemn the Tulkarm camp massacre and hold the occupation government fully responsible for its repercussions.”
Hamas and Islamic Jihad also condemned the strike, describing it as a “massacre” and warning of further escalation.
The Israeli occupation confirmed the attack, which it said was a joint effort between the air force and Shin Bet, targeting a Hamas leader in Tulkarm, Zahi Al-Oufi. There was no immediate response from Hamas.
In response, West Bank groups have called for a general strike in protest of the attack.
Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,780 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since 7 October last year. At least 719 Palestinians, including 160 children, have since been killed in the West Bank and Jerusalem since then, nearly 6,200 others have been wounded and 11,000 have been arrested.
In August, Israeli forces launched a major offensive in the northern West Bank, involving air strikes and ground assaults in cities like Jenin and Tulkarm. UN human rights chief Volker Turk noted in September that such offensives have occurred at a scale unseen in the West Bank in over 20 years.
The escalation follows a landmark advisory opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land to be unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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