Israel carries out airstrike near Jenin, three Palestinians killed
The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike near the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinians. The Israeli army described those killed as militants and said the operation was conducted on Friday.
According to France 24, it was a rare Israeli airstrike in the West Bank. The last time Israeli forces struck this territory was in February 2025.
The Israeli army identified one of those killed as Qais Bitawi. According to its version, he was affiliated with Hamas and operated in a militant network in Jenin that the military considers dismantled. The army also said that Bitawi allegedly organized, financed and carried out attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces, and maintained ties with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and abroad.
Statements by the sides
The military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that Qais Bitawi and the other two people killed were its fighters. The group described Bitawi as one of the leading leaders of the Al-Quds Brigades in the West Bank.
According to the Israeli military, two of Bitawi's associates were killed alongside him, and weapons were found in their vehicle. Hamas condemned the strike, calling it a mass killing committed by occupation forces.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz congratulated the military on carrying out the operation. Katz said on X that Israeli forces are operating in the West Bank under an aggressive and proactive policy.
Operation Iron Wall
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces briefly detained its medics who arrived at the strike site. According to the organization, the military confiscated medical equipment and ordered the teams to leave the area without evacuating patients.
The Israeli army said the militant network in Jenin was dismantled as part of Operation Iron Wall, launched in early 2025 in refugee camps in the northern West Bank. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, the large-scale operation led to the displacement of nearly 40,000 people from the camps.
According to AFP calculations based on Palestinian Authority data, since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli military personnel or settlers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the West Bank, including armed fighters. Official Israeli data show that at least 48 Israelis, civilians and military personnel, have been killed during this period in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.
