Shafaq News/ The Israeli military launched an airstrike on a café in the Tulkarm refugee camp on Thursday, killing 18 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that emergency and medical crews rushed to the scene, transporting the dead and wounded to Martyr Thabet Thabet Government Hospital in Tulkarm.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the attack, telling Palestine TV, “We condemn the Tulkarm massacre and hold the occupation government fully responsible for its consequences.”

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating, “In a joint operation with the Shin Bet, a fighter jet targeted a site in Tulkarm.” Later, the army announced that Zahi Yasser Oufi, a Hamas leader in Tulkarm, was killed in the strike.

Violence in the West Bank has intensified since the start of the Gaza war, with Israeli forces conducting near-daily raids, arresting thousands, and regularly engaging in firefights with Palestinian militants.