02:41Residents of Tulkarm province in the West Bank mourned on Friday at the funerals of 18 people killed in an Israeli airstrike against a cafe on Thursday.
Footage shows bodies in the morgue of a hospital in Tulkarm, where relatives bade their last farewells to loved ones before the funerals are seen taking place, as fighters fire their weapons into the air.
Adham al-Tanji, who suffered the loss of his brother Ayman in the strike, described the scene of the attack.
"What happened yesterday is a massacre. As I hurried towards the explosion site, I saw my brother among the martyrs, along with dead people of all ages, including children and the elderly, as well as bodies whose identities were unclear,” he said.
Tulkarm camp resident Dawood al-Khawla described the ‘dire situation’ people face in the area.
“There is a funeral in every neighbourhood in the camp. They (Israel) have committed a massacre, and additional atrocities are anticipated as the occupation shows no mercy for a woman or children,” he explained.
Israeli warplanes hit the popular cafe in Haret al-Hammam, killing 18 and wounding others, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Palestinian security services stated it was the deadliest attack on the West Bank in almost a quarter of a century.
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces announced that its air force carried out the strike that "eliminated the Hamas leader in Tulkarm" Zahi Yasser Abdel Razek Awfi in collaboration with the Shin Bet security service.
The army claimed that Awfi “planned and led an operation to bomb a car in Ateret and supplied a large number of terrorists in the area with weapons" and that he was responsible for a 'large number of additional attacks’ on communities in the West Bank and Israel.
Shops shuttered on Friday as a general strike spread throughout the West Bank in response to calls from factions to honour those killed in the attack.
Tensions have been escalating in the West Bank since Oct. 7, with more than 738 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, official figures released by Tel Aviv indicate that at least 26 Israelis were killed in attacks by Palestinians in the territory.
‘What happened yesterday is a massacre’ - Tulkarm mourns 18 killed in Israeli airstrike on West Bank cafe
Residents of Tulkarm province in the West Bank mourned on Friday at the funerals of 18 people killed in an Israeli airstrike against a cafe on Thursday.
Footage shows bodies in the morgue of a hospital in Tulkarm, where relatives bade their last farewells to loved ones before the funerals are seen taking place, as fighters fire their weapons into the air.
Adham al-Tanji, who suffered the loss of his brother Ayman in the strike, described the scene of the attack.
"What happened yesterday is a massacre. As I hurried towards the explosion site, I saw my brother among the martyrs, along with dead people of all ages, including children and the elderly, as well as bodies whose identities were unclear,” he said.
Tulkarm camp resident Dawood al-Khawla described the ‘dire situation’ people face in the area.
“There is a funeral in every neighbourhood in the camp. They (Israel) have committed a massacre, and additional atrocities are anticipated as the occupation shows no mercy for a woman or children,” he explained.
Israeli warplanes hit the popular cafe in Haret al-Hammam, killing 18 and wounding others, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Palestinian security services stated it was the deadliest attack on the West Bank in almost a quarter of a century.
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces announced that its air force carried out the strike that "eliminated the Hamas leader in Tulkarm" Zahi Yasser Abdel Razek Awfi in collaboration with the Shin Bet security service.
The army claimed that Awfi “planned and led an operation to bomb a car in Ateret and supplied a large number of terrorists in the area with weapons" and that he was responsible for a 'large number of additional attacks’ on communities in the West Bank and Israel.
Shops shuttered on Friday as a general strike spread throughout the West Bank in response to calls from factions to honour those killed in the attack.
Tensions have been escalating in the West Bank since Oct. 7, with more than 738 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, official figures released by Tel Aviv indicate that at least 26 Israelis were killed in attacks by Palestinians in the territory.
Residents of Tulkarm province in the West Bank mourned on Friday at the funerals of 18 people killed in an Israeli airstrike against a cafe on Thursday.
Footage shows bodies in the morgue of a hospital in Tulkarm, where relatives bade their last farewells to loved ones before the funerals are seen taking place, as fighters fire their weapons into the air.
Adham al-Tanji, who suffered the loss of his brother Ayman in the strike, described the scene of the attack.
"What happened yesterday is a massacre. As I hurried towards the explosion site, I saw my brother among the martyrs, along with dead people of all ages, including children and the elderly, as well as bodies whose identities were unclear,” he said.
Tulkarm camp resident Dawood al-Khawla described the ‘dire situation’ people face in the area.
“There is a funeral in every neighbourhood in the camp. They (Israel) have committed a massacre, and additional atrocities are anticipated as the occupation shows no mercy for a woman or children,” he explained.
Israeli warplanes hit the popular cafe in Haret al-Hammam, killing 18 and wounding others, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Palestinian security services stated it was the deadliest attack on the West Bank in almost a quarter of a century.
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces announced that its air force carried out the strike that "eliminated the Hamas leader in Tulkarm" Zahi Yasser Abdel Razek Awfi in collaboration with the Shin Bet security service.
The army claimed that Awfi “planned and led an operation to bomb a car in Ateret and supplied a large number of terrorists in the area with weapons" and that he was responsible for a 'large number of additional attacks’ on communities in the West Bank and Israel.
Shops shuttered on Friday as a general strike spread throughout the West Bank in response to calls from factions to honour those killed in the attack.
Tensions have been escalating in the West Bank since Oct. 7, with more than 738 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, official figures released by Tel Aviv indicate that at least 26 Israelis were killed in attacks by Palestinians in the territory.