The ruins of a coffee shop in the West Bank city of Tulkarm show the force of the airstrike on Thursday night that killed at least 18 people including a senior local commander of the militant group Hamas.

The high toll and Israel’s use of a warplane were unusual for the Israeli military’s operations in the West Bank, which have escalated during the war in Gaza.

Hamas confirmed that commander Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi was killed by the strike, who the IDF say attempted a car bombing last month and supplied weapons. The Israeli military said the air strike was a joint operation with its Shin Bet security service, aimed at killing Oufi and "other significant terrorists".