Israeli strike kills three Palestinians in West Bank’s Jenin | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Israeli Air Strike in Jenin Kills Three Palestinians Amid Heightened Tensions
JENIN, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli military confirmed on Friday that it conducted an air strike in Jenin, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians. This incident marks a rare military operation in the occupied West Bank, where tensions have been escalating.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the strike targeted a vehicle carrying three individuals, one of whom was identified as a Hamas operative. The military did not specify the identities of the other two men, referred to as accomplices.
Hamas condemned the attack but did not confirm the targeted individual as a member of the group. However, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant organization, claimed that the man, Qais Bitawi, held a senior position within its armed wing.
Following the air strike, ground troops reportedly raided the area, temporarily detaining paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The organization stated that its personnel were obstructed from transporting the injured and deceased to medical facilities.
The Palestine Wafa news agency reported that the drone strike hit a house under construction in western Jenin City, killing the three men immediately. Images from the scene captured Israeli soldiers removing a body from the site.
In response to the strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the military operation as a “successful thwarting” of the individuals involved. Defense Minister Israel Katz congratulated military and security agencies for their actions, stating that the Jenin camp would now operate under a permanent Israeli military presence.
Hamas, in its statement, referred to the deceased as “martyrs” and urged the international community to intervene to “stop these crimes and end impunity,” holding Israel accountable for the consequences of its actions.
The occupied West Bank, home to the Palestinian Authority, has recently seen increased violence involving Israeli settlers and military forces. While military raids are common, the last air strike in the region occurred in February 2025.
This latest incident in Jenin comes alongside Israeli military operations in Gaza, which have resulted in at least five additional fatalities, including three members of a single family. Nikolay Mladenov, the U.S. representative for the Board of Peace, cautioned that the ongoing conflict jeopardizes the fragile ceasefire established in Gaza.
