18 Palestinians killed in Israel’s “deadliest” airstrike on the West Bank in over 20 years

The Palestinian Authority 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" and called on the international community to stop Israeli actions in the West Bank.

The strike, 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 said 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.