| 2024 Tulkarm camp airstrike | |
|---|---|
| Part of the2024 Israeli military operation in the West Bank | |
  Tulkarm camp Location in the West Bank | |
| Location | Tulkarm,West Bank,Palestine |
| Date | 3 October 2024 |
| Target | Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | 20+ Palestinians |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces andShin Bet |
On 3 October 2024, theIsraeli Defence Forces (IDF) conducted anairstrike on theTulkarm Camp – a Palestinianrefugee camp – in theWest Bank. At least 20 people were killed, including 12 militants.[1] It was the firstIsraeli strike in the area since 2002 duringOperation Defensive Shield.[1]Nour Odeh called it "the largest and deadliest air strike that we’ve seen in the occupied West Bank for over 20 years".[2] The airstrike was a joint operation between the IDF andShin Bet againstHamas.[3]
The bombing was aimed at a busycoffee shop in the al-Hamam neighbourhood in Tulkarm Camp, and at least onemissile hit acafe in the camp.[4] It was one of the largest airstrikes on the West Bank in more than two decades.[5]
The IDF and Shin Bet stated that Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, a Hamas commander planning to carry out an attack on the first anniversary of the7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, was killed alongside six other members of Hamas andPalestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), including Ghaith Radwan, a senior PIJ commander. Hamas later confirmed Oufi as their commander, stating that he was killed alongside seven other members, while PIJ confirmed that Radwan was a commander of their group.[6]
Laith Jaar, anAl Jazeera journalist who was covering the bombing, was assaulted by aPalestinian Authority security officer, who threatened to shoot him. Jaar was subsequently arrested and detained by the PA security forces,[7][8] but was released the next day.[9]
TheUnited Nations condemned the airstrike, calling it unlawful.[10] TheGerman Foreign Ministry stated onX that “The high number of civilian casualties in an Israeli airstrike in Tulkarem is shocking. In the fight against terror, the Israeli army is obliged to protect civilians in the West Bank.”[11]
A spokesman forPresident of the State of PalestineMahmoud Abbas called the attack a "heinous crime" against civilians.[2] The Palestinian news agencyWAFA said the attacks "will not bring security and stability to anyone, but will drag the region into more violence".[12] Hamas condemned the strike but stopped short of confirming Oufi's death.[13] Hamas later confirmed his death.[14]
