Palestinian Authority condemns 'heinous massacre' after Israeli strike on Tulkarm

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has slammed an Israeli airstrike on the Tulkarm Refugee Camp on Thursday night that killed at least 18 people, in one of the deadliest single attacks in the occupied West Bank in years.

PA Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa described the strike as a "heinous massacre" on his official account and called on the international community to stop Israeli actions in the West Bank.

"The Palestinian Government urges the [international] community to hold Israel accountable for full-scale war of genocide against the Palestinian People," the statement on his official X account read.

"The recent massacre in [Tulkarm] is another reminder that the occupying power acts above the law ignoring global calls for justice."

The strike, reported to be the deadliest in the occupied West Bank since the Second Intifada, struck a cafe in the al-Hamam neighbourhood of the camp. According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, the airstrike also caused several other injuries.

The Israeli military has said that the strike killed a Hamas leader, Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, as well as other members. Hamas condemned the strike, calling it an escalation.

The airstrike comes as Israeli escalatory actions in the West Bank continue, with Israeli forces conducting raids across Hebron in the early hours of Friday morning, arresting 24.

The Israeli raids also saw the detention of children, including 17-year-old Yusuf Adi and 16-year-old Wadi Awad, Wafa reported.

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank have killed 723 people, including at least 160 children. Some 5,750 people have also been injured.

Amid the assaults in the occupied West Bank Israel has continued its war on Gaza, striking targets across the enclave on Thursday night through to Friday morning.

Four civilians were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in the east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, while airstrikes on a house in eastern Khan Younis in the south of the enclave reportedly caused several casualties.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed 41,788 people and injured a further 96,794, destroying much of the enclave and causing widespread hunger and disease for the Palestinian population.