A general strike was called for Friday in the West Bank town of Tulkarm to protest an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 18 people the day before.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, West Bank, said an Israeli fighter jet strike struck a residential building with a cafe on the ground floor, killing at least 18 people, including children.
The Israeli military confirmed the airstrike and said it targeted Hamas leader Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, who had reportedly been involved in numerous attacks on Israelis. It said other members of the terrorist network were also killed in the attack.
The airstrike was the first of its kind in the West Bank in years.
According to Palestinian sources, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war almost a year ago, during clashes with the army, in attempted attacks on Israelis and by radical Israeli settlers.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
Public life is already restricted in the West Bank on Fridays because Friday is an important day for Muslims, just as Sunday is for Christians.
