Three Palestinians Killed in Rare Israeli Airstrike in Jenin

While Israeli leadership expressed approval of the operation, Hamas has demanded an end to Israeli military actions.

Published On 28 Aug 202628 Aug 2026

In a significant escalation of tensions within the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military conducted a rare airstrike in Jenin that left three Palestinians dead.

The Israeli military issued a statement confirming the “elimination” of three individuals on Friday, identifying one as a Hamas operative and the others as his accomplices.

While Hamas issued a condemnation of the strike, they did not claim the targeted individual, whom the Israeli military named as Qais Bitawi. However, Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a statement identifying Bitawi as a high-ranking operative within its armed wing.

According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the airstrike specifically targeted a vehicle transporting the men.

The Palestine Red Crescent ambulance service reported that following the drone strike, Israeli ground forces raided the location, briefly detaining medical personnel and obstructing the transport of the wounded and deceased to hospitals. The Red Crescent further noted that their staff were also detained upon arriving at the scene.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the drone strike hit a house under construction in western Jenin, resulting in the immediate deaths of all three Palestinians.

Footage from the AFP news agency captured Israeli soldiers recovering a body from a building under construction on the outskirts of the city.

‘Stop these crimes and end impunity’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the operation on X, describing it as a “successful thwarting” of the three targets.

Following the operation, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz commended the efforts of the military, police, and Shin Bet. Katz stated that the Jenin camp had been “evacuated of residents” and asserted that the Israeli military would maintain a permanent presence there, comparing it to other “terrorist camps” in the West Bank.

In a statement, Hamas mourned the “martyrs” killed in the Jenin bombing, asserting that Palestinians “will continue to cling to their land and rights.”

The group urged the international community to “take immediate action to stop these crimes and end impunity,” holding Israel responsible for the consequences of its actions.

While the occupied West Bank, governed by the Palestinian Authority, has experienced a surge in violence involving Israeli settlers and soldiers, it has largely been spared the scale of airstrikes seen in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. While military raids are frequent, this marks the first major airstrike in the region since February 2025.

The strike in Jenin occurred alongside separate Israeli strikes in Gaza that killed at least five people. This escalation comes as Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for the United States-led Board of Peace, warned that the failure of both parties to follow the peace roadmap “threatens a collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza.”

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